


The Hunter and the Hunted

by Fabulousgirl85



Series: The Hunted Series [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Peter-centric, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Rating: PG13, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2018-12-10 06:05:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 106,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11685606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabulousgirl85/pseuds/Fabulousgirl85
Summary: COMPLETE - It has been a year since the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Peter is now a junior. He has spent the past year honing his skills at Spider-Man, while simultaneously trying to keep up a normal teenage life, per instructions from his Aunt May. However, when criminals around town start whispering about a man named Goblin, things start to get a little crazy. Add in his strange new feelings for a girl who he thought really didn't even like him that much, and you've got one complicated scenario.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First fan fiction I'm putting out here, but I loved the characters that the new Marvel/Disney/Sony movie created and they got my creative juices flowing. Pretty much follows the basic MCU timeline.

“I just want you to be careful. Ever since your parents passed, it’s been my job, you know? I’m the adult,” Aunt May said exasperatedly, arms outstretched in frustration at seeing her nephew, Peter Parker, dressed in the Spider-Man suit. 

“Okay, Aunt May, I know, and I respect that,”

“Do you? Is that why you have sneaked around behind my back because you respect me?!” her voice hit a shrill volume that made Peter wince. 

“No, I did it to protect you!” He exclaimed. “If one of my enemies,”

“Enemies!? You have enemies now? Jesus, Peter, boys your age have bullies, but they don’t have enemies!”

Peter put a finger to his lips. “Please Aunt May you have to be quiet,” he said in a low voice, hoping she may lower hers as well. “Look if anyone found out about me, they may use you to get to me, and I can’t let that happen.” 

Aunt May ran a hand through her dark auburn hair. “Peter, do you hear yourself? How can this be a good thing if you are worried about me, about your friends, getting hurt? What is so great about this?” 

“I fought with the Avengers,” he said, “Well I actually fought with half of the Avengers against the other half, but I mean,” 

“Peter!” Aunt May exclaimed. “I don’t care if you fought next to Tony Stark himself…. Wait a minute,” she narrowed her eyes. “The Stark internship, that’s not what you’ve been doing has it? Did Tony Stark get you involved in this? Did he turn you into this Spider-Man?”

Peter’s eyes widened. “No! He found out, I mean he’s really good at his detective work, but no, this happened to me a year ago; see a spider bit me,” 

“A spider!?”

“Yeah, but see, it was genetically enhanced, and its venom gave me these abilities,” he tried to explain as vaguely as possible.

Aunt May’s eyes widened. “So that webbing that you spew is coming out of your body?”

“No, no, I created that, pretty cool huh?” Peter gave her a weary smile.

“No, Peter it’s not cool, it’s scary, and weird, and I don’t even begin to know how to describe it.”

“Well, you’re doing a pretty good job now,” he muttered, rubbing his crumpled-up mask in his hands. He hadn’t felt this awful since Tony had taken away his suit. He could feel tears burning in his eyes. “I’m sorry May, I should have told you sooner.” He lowered his head so she wouldn’t see him cry. 

Then, he felt her arms circling around his shoulders. “Peter, just because something like this has happened to you, doesn’t mean you have to become some sort of superhero,” she said softly. 

Peter pulled away. “No, you don’t understand, I can’t have these powers and sit back and pretend that I’m just me. May I can climb walls, stop moving buses! I have stopped criminals, I mean I stopped a whole criminal enterprise from selling weapons made with alien technology! I can’t just sit back and let that stuff happen here in our city when I know I can stop it.” 

“You’re 15 years old Peter…”

“So? Weren’t kids younger than me fighting in wars way back when? How is this any different?”

“They didn’t have a choice!” Aunt May knocked her fist against Peter’s desk, quieting him instantly. He had never seen her so upset before and it was starting to freak him out. He watched as she took a few deep breaths. She seemed to be deciding in her head, the way her eyes darted back and forth along the floor, her lips mouthing words as if she were arguing with herself. “That’s it, I’m calling Tony.” She turned on her heel and stormed out of his room.

Peter’s eyes widened, “Wait, what?!”


	2. One Year Later

_One Year Later_

The worn-out street lamp was great cover for the three men in black masks and dark jeans gathered around a silver Mercedes. One was watching the street and sidewalk, while the other two worked hurriedly to try and unlock the car door.

“So why can’t we just knock out the window again?” The taller of the two men working the lock had asked the other.

“I told you, boss doesn’t want us ruining the cars. These things are going to be resold in perfect condition,” the shorter, slightly chubbier one hissed through his mask.

“Yeah, but that Spider guy is probably out here somewhere, and we need to be quick.”

“Let him come,” the shorter man said. “I’m ready for him,” he moved his shirt up to reveal a handgun in the waist of his jeans. He turned back to his work, twisting and turning the long metal rod into the keyhole. When he heard a click as he turned it in just the right direction he said, “See?! That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Depends on who you ask, don’t you think?”

The three men froze when they heard the voice coming from above them. They looked up and a lean figure in a red and blue suit was perched on the side of the building the car was parked beside. He leaped off the building, flipping in the air and landing in front of them. “I didn’t realize triple A changed their uniforms to dark and sinister!”

The lookout brandished a handgun from his pocket. “Don’t come any closer Spider-Man or I’ll shoot!” His voice shook a little as he spoke.

“Oh wow, that’s a cool little gun, can I maybe,” he flicked out his wrist, and his webbing shot out of his suit and latched onto the gun, “have it?” he pulled the gun out of the lookout’s hand and flung it back, launching it miles away. The shortest guy of the bunch pulled his gun out and started shooting. “Hey!” Peter called out. “Can’t we just be friends?” He dodged the bullets as they flew past him, flipping and twisting his way toward his attackers. He hit the first one with an aerial roundhouse kick, knocking him into the second guy. The lookout, terrified, started running away, but Peter unleashed a couple of strands of webbing that wrapped around each of the man’s hands and tasered him. “Wow, I really like that feature you know? It comes in handy when someone is trying to run away!” He suddenly felt one of the men’s burly arms wrap around his neck.

“I’m gonna snap that scrawny little neck of yours,” he growled. Peter grabbed onto his forearms and pulled him over his head, slamming him into the ground.

“You should really be careful where you put your hands buddy!” He turned around to get the third guy, the short one, when he felt a bullet graze his left arm. “Ow!” He exclaimed. He quickly let fly his webbing, lifting him up into the air and he swung around hitting the man squarely in the chest with both legs. He fell back onto the pavement, the gun flying out of his hand. Peter caught the gun as he landed and bent the muzzle in half. He then threw it back at the short man. “Man, May is going to be so mad at me when she sees this wound. I promised her I’d be careful on patrol.” He then pressed a button on his ear. “Hey Karen?”

A female voice inside his suit answered him. “Good evening Peter.”

“Hey Thanks Karen. Could you go ahead and get our coordinates and send them to the cops. Let them know we have a couple of car thieves to take in.” Peter then went to work, dragging the three men to the curb and tying them up with his webbing. “No more fast and furious for you guys today.”

“Kid, you have no idea what your messing with,” the shorter man spat, seething.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” Peter replied.

“The police have been called and dispatched. Anything else I can do for you?” Karen asked.

“Nope I think that’s everything! Well guys it’s been a swell night, but I gotta run.”

“He’s hunting you,” the shorter man growled. “He is hunting you and he will find you and make you pay.”

Peter paused and turned around slowly. “Who’s hunting me?” he asked, walking up toward the three men cautiously.

“He is not lying, I have scanned his bodily functions,” Karen said. “Would you like me to turn on interrogation mode?”

Peter nodded. Then he asked again in a more sinister, deeper voice, “Who’s hunting me?”

The other two men winced, but the shorter man just laughed. “You think you can intimidate us?”

Peter looked at his two companions, both cowering under their bondage. “Deactivate interrogation mode,” he sighed. Then in his normal voice he said, “Well, two out of three ain’t bad.” He crouched down in front of the shorter man. “Look, the police will be here any minute, so why don’t you just tell me – who’s hunting me?”

The shorter man glanced up in the sky and then looked back at Peter with an almost maniacal look. “The Goblin.” Just then, police sirens and lights could be heard from a distance. “Fly away Spider-Man, but you better watch your back. He’s got everyone scared, and you should be too!”

Peter wanted to retort, but the police were getting closer, and he didn’t like to stick around, so he shot a web out, connecting it to the highest building on the opposite side of the street and swung away.

“The Goblin? Karen, does that name ring a bell?” Peter asked his AI as he soared through the air, creating new webs as he went to hold onto. His arm was still aching from the bullet that had grazed him. He couldn’t wait to get back to the apartment and fix himself up. He only hoped that this would be one of the nights that Aunt May decided to go to bed instead of waiting up for him.

“Searching through the police archives,” Karen replied smoothly. Peter liked her voice, it made him feel calm sometimes when things were a bit hectic. “The only thing I have found on the Goblin is a video of a police interrogation. Would you like me to play the audio for you?”

“Sure, that’d be awesome. Nothing like a good ole police interrogation as my soundtrack for my way home,” Peter joked.

_“Look man, I had to get those drugs or else he would have strung me up and used me as target practice!”_

_“Who is he?”_

_“I…I… I dunno, he calls himself the Goblin. He’s got money man, money and power. He’s got half of the crime bosses in the city under his control. He’s a man on a mission, and if you cross him, you’d be apt to find yourself blown up or used as a reminder to everyone else what happens if you try to turn on him.”_

_“Does this… Goblin… have another name?”_

_“If he does, I don’t know anyone who knows it. I’m just a runner, I’m not close enough to him to know his real identity. He covers himself up like that Spider-Man.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Well he’s always wearing a costume, this green get-up, but the worst thing about it is his mask,”_

_“Mask…”_

_“Yes, it looks like a goblin head and is scary as hell. I have only seen him a couple of times, but it’s enough to know I don’t want to be any closer than I already am.”_

_“Okay, … what about your boss, huh? Care to tell me anything about him? Or is he some masked villain too?”_

The recording ended. “Wow, this guy seems like a cool dude,” Peter said sarcastically. “So what does he want with me?”

“I’m not sure,” Karen answered.

“Oh, you didn’t have to answer, Karen, I was being rhetorical,” Peter said quickly.

“Ah yes, I still need to work on some of the finer aspects of human speech,” she replied. Peter landed on the side of his building and started crawling along the wall toward his bedroom window. “Is there anything else I can do for you before the night ends, Peter?”

Peter slowly opened his window and crawled inside his room and pulled his mask off. “Can you make this bullet wound go away?” he joked, examining the gash in his full-length mirror.

“I fear my technology does not go that far,” Karen replied.

“Yeah, I fear that too,” Peter mumbled. “Okay, well I have to go ahead and deal with this, so I guess it’s a wrap on Spider-Man for the evening. Thanks Karen.”

“Any time, Peter. Have a good night and good luck on that Spanish 3 test tomorrow,” Karen said before shutting down.

“Spanish 3 test?! Oh man, how could I forget!?” Peter groaned, hitting the middle button of his suit, loosening it so that he could slip out of it.

Standing there in his boxers, he folded up his suit and shoved it into his backpack before walking over to his closet where he kept an emergency medical kit. He pulled out some alcohol swabs to clean his wound, wincing as the sting from the liquid as it hit his fresh wound. He knew it would heal within the next day or so, another _enhancement_ from his spider bite accident almost two years ago, but he knew he had to at least clean and dress the wound before Aunt May saw it.

 Although Tony had talked her down from completely forbidding Peter from being Spider-Man, she still had her stipulations to him being able to be Spider-Man. She insisted he stay on the academic decathlon team, which he had planned on doing anyway since Michelle had pretty much threatened his life if he didn’t, that he made sure his homework was all done before going out to patrol, and that he told her when he left and came back, even if it was very late at night. That part he sometimes failed to do, but she was such a deep sleeper that he always managed to convince her that he had woken her up, but she just didn’t remember it.

Once he had cleaned and covered up his wound, he slipped into a t-shirt and flannel pants, and crawled into his bed, but not before grabbing his laptop. He turned it on, and opened up YouTube. He searched for Spider-Man and hundreds of results popped up. He scanned through the list, sorted newest to oldest and began watching the videos, some were just videos from bystanders, which gave him a chance to critique his performance, but also news stories about him.

_“Big news story today, the city is reporting that crime is at an all time low for the first time in thirty years. Why you ask? Well, most are pointing to one man, the masked crusader, Spider-Man. Since stepping into the crimefighting scene nearly two years ago, he has singlehandedly managed to take down an illegal arms dealer, selling modified weapons made with alien technology, and has put a huge dent in the renowned crime boss, Kingpin’s drug cartel operations. Many are calling him a hero, while the Mayor has a different name: Menace._

_[Mayor Renfroe} While I can certainly appreciate This Spider… Man’s efforts, we cannot grossly assume he is our saving grace. He is just one man, and a man who won’t unmask himself, not even to the law enforcement who have asked for his complete and total cooperation. He may be on our side for now, but how long will that last? If he’s serious about helping our city, then he needs to think about working with our government, like the Avengers have with the world._

_{Newscaster} Of course, Mayor Renfroe is referring to the Sokovia Accords, where only a third of the Avengers team signed an agreement to work for an international governing task force. The remaining Avengers, including the once American hero, Captain America, have all gone into hiding. Rumors have flown around that Spider-Man was supposed to become an Avenger, rumors which Tony Stark himself has fueled.”_

Peter straightened up at the mention of Tony’s name.

_“{Tony Stark} Wait, what was the question? Oh Spider-Man, yeah, I’ve spoken with him about it. Turned me down. Smart kid… guy, I mean. Wants to just focus on helping his home city. I have enough wackos in jumpsuits and armor, I don’t need them all right? But he’s the real deal, man. Not some wannabe hero like me, but a true hero, really cares about his city.”_

Peter felt his chest swell with appreciation. In the year and a half, he had gotten to know Tony, he had become a real role model and mentor for him, even if he annoyed Tony sometimes.  Knowing that Tony felt that way about him, made him happy. He shut down his computer, suddenly feeling the fatigue of the long day. Just as he was about to close his eyes to try to sleep, he heard his cell phone chirp.

He picked up his phone and saw a text message pop up.

_You told me to text you at 2AM about not forgetting about our Spanish 3 test so this is me texting you about it._

A second message popped up.

_So don’t be late_

And then a third.

_Again_

And finally one more.

_And if you aren’t at decathlon practice tomorrow, I’ll kill you. Kidding. But seriously._

Peter couldn’t help but smile at the string of messages. He quickly typed back, _Thanks MJ_. He wasn’t sure why, but seeing her texts had made him feel energized suddenly, and he realized he might have a harder time going to sleep than he had thought.


	3. Harry Osborn

“Goblin? Gotta admit, that’s a pretty bad ass villain name.”

Peter looked over at his best friend Ned, who was standing beside his locker as he unloaded the books he needed for the first half of the day. Even though it has been a year since Ned found out about Peter’s abilities, he still always acted stoked whenever Peter would tell him about his Spider-Man adventures.

“Yeah, but weird, right?” Peter glanced around at the other students to make sure no one was listening. “I mean, what’s he want to do with me?”

Ned shrugged, adjusting his backpack over his large shoulder. “You’re keeping the criminals at bay man, you’re one-man police force out there. If this guy is a criminal mastermind, don’t you think he’d be kind of pissed you’re shitting on his show?”

Peter nodded. “I guess you’re right. It’s just the first time I’ve heard about him.”

“Dude likes to keep a low profile,” Ned offered, holding the door to their homeroom open for Peter.

“If you heard the way the guy in the police interrogation described his outfit, you wouldn’t think so,” Peter muttered back, slipping inside the classroom and making his way toward his usual seat, close enough to the back that he and Ned could talk, but far enough front as if to give the appearance he was listening to his teacher completely.

Peter took a seat and pulled out his phone and notebook. He felt someone flicking the back of his head. He turned around and smirked. “Good morning MJ.”

“Hey nerd,” she replied, smirking back. Her naturally curly hair was straightened, a look that she never sported often. The way it fell just over her eye as she looked at him made Peter’s insides flutter, which he tried to ignore. Michelle, or MJ as she liked to be called, had always been there; sometimes a friend to him and Ned, sometimes a critic, but always honest and observant. However, after the events of last fall, she started to talk to them more, talk to Peter more. He didn’t mind it, he always thought she was okay, but the more time they spent together, the stranger Peter began to feel. A good feeling like he would get when Liz was near him. _But I can’t like MJ_ , he thought, _because it’s MJ, right?_

“I like your hair like that,” he said without thinking. Ned raised his eyebrow at him, giving him a confused look. Michelle sat back in her chair surprised at his comment. Peter, realizing what he had said quickly tried to recover. “I mean, I like your hair the other way too, but that’s nice, um also.”

“Okay, I was just trying to get your attention to tell you good job on showing up on time, but I’ll take the compliment,” she replied coolly. She picked up the paperback book sitting on the edge of her desk and started reading it.

Ned leaned over and nudged him. “What was that? Since when do you compliment Michelle on her looks?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “What are you talking about? I tell you when I like your clothes all the time.”

“You didn’t the other day when I wore that awesome fedora.”

“Because it wasn’t awesome Ned,” Peter mumbled.

Mrs. Ramirez, their Spanish 3 and homeroom teacher called the class to order, and Peter turned around, but not before catching Michelle’s eye. She was smiling at him over her book, making his insides flip around more. He gave her a waning smile back before turning to the front. _Oh God, this isn’t good._

After class, Peter waited for Ned and Michelle to walk to their next class, biochemistry. They fell in place on either side of Peter. “So how’d you think you did?” Michelle asked him as they headed down the hall.

“The vocabulary part wasn’t so bad, but translation paragraph was insane,” Peter replied.

“No way, the free write was the worst,” Ned argued. “Like I can talk about my favorite family trip in Spanish for 500 words?”

“Maybe she should have asked you to talk about Star Wars,” Michelle replied sarcastically. “Bet you could have gone on about that for at least eight pages,” she paused, “Man sometimes you guys can be so nerdy.”

“Wait, why are you hanging out with us again?” Ned asked her, his eyes narrowing angrily.

“Surprisingly, you two are some of the only non-douchebags at this school,” she said with a shrug. “And mom said I should make more friends.”

“Well aren’t we lucky to be on your top list,” Ned grunted.

“Okay!” Peter exclaimed loudly, trying to avoid any further bickering. “So did you guys see that we have a new kid in our class?”

“Harry Osborn,” Michelle said with disgust.

“Oh wow, no surprise you already hate him,” Ned muttered.

Peter rolled his face toward Ned and gave him a look that said ‘knock it off.’ Ned replied with a look bewilderment. “Harry Osborn, why does that name sound familiar?” Peter asked.

“He’s the son of that slimy tech guy, Norman Osborn,” Michelle answered.

“Norman Osborn, as in Oscorp?” Peter looked shocked.

“Wait, why is he slimy? He wasn’t like genetically bonded with a frog or something was he?” Ned asked. Michelle frowned in confusion and mild annoyance, while Peter’s eyes looked pointedly at his best friend.

“Do you not read the news? Osborn has allegedly been doing weapons deals with Russia and North Korea,” Michelle said.

“So, he’s like a bad guy?” Peter asked.

Michelle laughed. “This isn’t like your comics, Peter, but I guess he’s like a bad guy. Apparently, this is like Harry’s third school. He’s smart, but doesn’t like rules.” 

“What’d he do at his last school?” 

“Again, you guys need to just go to your App Store and download Circa or something. He was going to some private school up in Boston, stole his teacher’s car, got shit-faced drunk, and almost killed a family of four.” 

“And he’s not in jail?” Ned said, shocked.

“Did you miss the part about his dad being a multibillionaire?”

“’Sup Penis Parker!”

Peter cringed at the sound of the horrific nickname that Flash Thompson had given him last year. He looked away from Michelle and saw Flash and a taller, light-haired boy coming toward them. He had broad shoulders and an effortless smile that went well with his effortless style. Clearly, the boy had come from money, and Peter had a sneaky suspicion he knew whose.

“Hey Flash, how are you doing being edged out of the top ten in our class?” Peter asked him with a smirk.

“You don’t even deserve to be in the top of anything, you loser,” Flash said through gritted teeth. “See, Harry, these guys, their nothing but geeks. Hang out with them, and it’s social suicide in this school.” He grinned maliciously at the three of them. “This is Harry Osborn. I’m just giving him a tour around the school, making sure he knows where everyone falls on the social hierarchy charts.”

“You should know then, Harry, that Flash here is not very good at memorizing charts,” Michelle replied, making Flash’s toffee-colored skin go red. “You should see him try to answer questions about the periodic table.”

Harry didn’t seem like he was listening to Michelle though, as his eyes were fixated on Peter. The gaze was so intense that it made Peter uncomfortable. “Flash told me about you. You’re Stark’s boy, right?”

Peter gave him a questioning look. “Uh, I don’t know what you, uh, mean… he’s not my dad…”

“Yeah, like Stark would want someone like you for a son,” Flash scoffed, making the tips of Peter’s ears red.

“Peter interns for Stark,” Ned spoke up, glaring at Flash. “He’s one of his most trusted interns.”

“Is that so?” Harry replied, eyeing him closer. “My father and him used to be very close you know.”

Peter awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, no I didn’t.”

“That was before Stark stabbed him in the back. He almost ruined my father’s career. You realize your hero is a huge asshole right?”

Peter laughed nervously. “Y…y…yeah, it’s something he’s working on.”

“Psh, whatever Parker, you’ve never even met Tony Stark,” Flash scoffed. “He’s such a huge liar. I’m pretty sure he makes up all that stuff about the internship because girls think it’s cool.”

“I…I do not!” Peter exclaimed, his face starting to burn up.

“You should watch your back,” Harry said. “Anyone who gets close to Stark, might just find themselves on my bad side.”

“Noted,” Michelle said, grabbing Peter’s arm. “Now, if you boys’ are all done comparing dick sizes, we have to get to class.” She pulled Peter around the two boys, Ned shooting them both the finger as he followed them from behind.

“Why is Flash such an asshole?” Ned asked as they escaped their encounter.

“Not enough love as a child, I guess,” Michelle replied. She must have realized she was still holding Peter’s arm even though the two other boys were gone because she pulled away quickly, rubbing her arm. “Looks like you made another enemy already though.”

Peter stared after the two boys, confounded by Harry’s interest in and subsequent hatred of him. “Yeah, what’s new?”

He spent the rest of the day contemplating many things: First, he needed to find out who this Goblin character was. Second, he wanted to figure out Harry Osborn. He wasn’t necessarily surprised that Flash scooped him up quickly as a friend – Flash had money and Harry clearly had money – and Peter assumed Flash told him all about his “internship”, which fueled some immediate bond over how much they hated Peter for working with Tony. However, the kid’s interest in him seemed to move beyond that. The way he looked at him. There was true disdain there. It confused him immensely. Third, he couldn’t stop the nagging feeling he had in his stomach over Flash’s comment about Tony.

_Yeah, like Stark would want someone like you for a son_.

Ever since Peter’s parents died, he was always lacking a father figure in his life. Aunt May was married for awhile to a nice man named Ben. He was kind to Peter, but he and May couldn’t seem to agree on anything, and eventually, when Peter was ten, he left. Peter had always looked up to Tony Stark and had never dreamed that one way he would only be a phone call away, yet he was. Tony could have easily dropped him off his radar after he helped him out at the airport, but he didn’t. He kept Peter in his life. It meant something to Peter more than Tony could possibly ever have known. He wondered if Tony was glad that Peter was around. There were definitely times early on in their new friendship that Peter was sure he annoyed the man, but he thought now there must have been some admiration on the older man’s part.

During biochemistry, Peter pulled his phone out while Michelle was preparing reagents for their antibodies detection experiment. He quickly shot Tony a text.

_Norman Osborn’s son goes to my school now. He doesn’t like you much._

“Texting your girlfriend?” Michelle asked.

Peter turned his phone over quickly to hide it from her. “Uh, what? No, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “Then why so secretive?”

“Uh, no reason. Just like my privacy.”

“Clearly…. Come on, go dilute this blocking buffer. I do not want to have to take this home with me.”

“O…okay,” Peter said, taking the blocking buffer and a 25 ml bleaker off the stand in front of him.

“Are you okay Peter?” Michelle asked, as they both started working on their tasks.

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“You seem kind of down. You’re not upset about what Flash said are you?”

“What did Flash say?” Peter tried to play dumb, but he knew it was useless with Michelle. She was very observant and didn’t like to beat around the bush. He was honestly surprised she hadn’t figured out his secret yet.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t try to play tough with me. I saw how you reacted when he said that thing about Stark not wanting you for a son. It was a pretty shitty thing to say, especially since your dad is dead.”

Peter looked down at his beakers. “Wow, MJ, thanks for noticing that.” He set his beakers back on the stand. “It’s Flash, right? I should probably just ignore him, that’s what my aunt would say.”

“Yeah or you could punch him,” Michelle replied. Peter’s eyes widened. “You’re right, that’s too drastic. Don’t worry, I have some payback in mind.”

“What are you going to do?” Peter asked.

“I won’t tell you. You’ll just have to wait and see,” she gave him a sly grin. “I know you don’t like talking about the internship that much, but obviously Tony Stark likes you if he’s willing to put so much time into you. Just saying.”

Peter couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Michelle, that’s a really nice thing to say.”

“Whatever strokes your ego,” she replied. “Let’s go ahead and mark the wells.” She handed Peter a marker and started going to work.

Peter’s phone buzzed and he picked it up. Tony had replied.

_Stay away from that kid. Norman is a piece of work, and I hear the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m kind of fond of you kid, so stay away. – TS_

Peter’s grin grew larger and he set his phone back down on the lab table. He moved closer to Michelle, and could suddenly smell the flowery scent of her soap. It made him dizzy. _Add this to my list of problems_ , he thought, trying to focus on the experiment and not on his lab partner.


	4. The Plot Thickens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the kudos and comments! This is the first fic I've actually posted in awhile, so I'm really thankful for the positive responses! 
> 
> Sorry for the delay of Chapter 4, I had a report to finish for my Master's class. Ugh LOL.

As the sun started to set over the island of Manhattan, Harry raced up the steps of the elegant brownstone he called home. After his father’s threat, he thought he’d make good and show up to dinner on time. At least the first few times that Norman Osborn remembered their dinners, before he slowly started retreating into his research again, forgetting that he had a son at all. It happened every time Harry had to go to a new school. Norman tried to be a strict father for about a week or so, and then he got distracted. Harry wasn’t expecting this time to be anything different.

He opened the door and heard their butler, Andrew, scurrying down the hall. “So sorry sir, didn’t realize that you were one your way home,” the older man said in a thick British accent.

Harry threw his backpack onto the bench next to the front door. “It’s okay, Andrew, it’s not like you will use the iPhone dad bought you anyway.”

Andrew hastily gathered his things and started up the stairs to Harry’s bedroom. “Yes, well, with men made of iron and aliens running around, I find that technology seems to be a bit too intrusive these days for my taste.” Harry started following him upstairs, when Andrew said, “Your father is already in the kitchen at the table waiting on you. Best not keep him waiting any longer, eh?”

Harry side and took a step back off the stairs, turned on his heel and made for the kitchen. He was very much looking forward to the day when Norman Osborn started to forget about him again.

“Must have been one hell of a commute back from Midtown,” Norman commented, looking up from his glass of brandy. He was sitting at their long dining room table, a large an obtrusive thing for such a small kitchen. Harry knew he chose his seat carefully, right in front of the hallway so he could see when Harry finally came home.

“Wanted to see the sights for a bit. Been awhile since I’ve been back here in New York after all,” Harry retorted, taking a seat a few chairs down from his father. Their maid, a portly Indian woman with a shy demeanor, came rushing out of the kitchen with a plate of food already heated up for him. She set it down and murmured quick apologies. “Hey, Chhavi, it’s okay, I’m the one who was late.” He looked down at the meal, a breaded veal with mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts. “Oh come on, Chhavi, brussels sprouts?”

Chhavi gave him a small smile. “Good for your cholesterol.”

“I think she made them for me, son,” Norman replied dryly. “Thank you Chhavi, you may go.” She bustled out of the kitchen quickly. “So, how was the first day at Midtown?”

“I feel like an idiot there,” Harry replied, rolling his brussels sprouts around with his fork. “You could have just sent me to a public school, would have been ten times better than being stuck with a bunch of science nerds. The only person that’s tolerable is some kid named Flash, but that’s just because he’s at least rich like me.”

“So you two can lament about your wildly successful fathers while you drive around in your expensive cars and wear your expensive clothes, that it?” Norman stuffed a brussels sprout into his mouth. “You’re smarter than you think Harry, and if you’d apply yourself to your studies instead of acting like an ass, maybe you could come work for me.”

“Who said I wanted to come work for you?” Harry muttered, shoving a piece of the veal into his mouth.

“You know what the only advantage I have over Tony Stark is?” Norman asked sharply, his volume raising. “That I have at least an heir to pass all this to when I’m dead and gone. You should be grateful I’ve built this empire for you, one you barely have to oversee!” He slammed his fist onto the table, making Harry jump. “I am so tired of your pissy teenager attitude. I have risked everything for this company, and you act like it’s a pile of trash.”

“God, you are so obsessed with stupid Tony Stark,” Harry groaned.

“He took everything from me!” Norman shouted. “If you had loss what I have, you’d understand. He thinks with his little super friends he’s some unstoppable force, but I am so close to building an empire he can’t even touch.”

“Wow, okay, Dr. Evil,” Harry said sarcastically. “Dad, you ever stop to think that just because  we have the same last name, doesn’t mean I need to do what you do?”

“Oh, really? So what do you want to do? Ride around in fast cars all day long, dipping your wick into anyone that flashes you a pretty smile?” Norman shook his head. “You disgust me sometimes Harry. A million kids would die to be in your position, and you sit here giving me dirty looks.”

“Dad, why don’t you give it a rest, huh? In a week’s time, you’re gonna give two shits about what I’m doing with my future, just like all of the other times, until I do something to screw it up. So let’s just stop all this pretending like you actually care about me at all.”

Norman glowered at his son. “Get out of my sight.”

Harry threw down his fork and stood up, pushing his chair over. “Fine, you don’t have to ask me twice.” He stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs just as Norman growled and with a sweeping gesture, threw all the plates onto the floor, porcelain shattering as it hit the ground.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 “Okay, Karen, scan the area,” Peter whispered to his AI.

“Of course, Peter, scanning the area now.”

Peter was perched within the branches of a tree on the outskirt of Idlewild Park. He had a great view of a few dilapidated warehouses just west of the airport. He was patrolling the area, when his “Spidey-senses” kicked in. Ever since his accident, he started experiencing a strange tingling sensation that made the hairs on his arms stand up. It always seemed to happen when there was some type of danger near him and helped him to be able to predict the next moves in a fight. Ned was convinced that he was just experiencing weird sexual urges when he fought, and Peter shot that idea down quickly mostly because it made him super uncomfortable thinking about it.

“Peter, the warehouse on the left has six heat signatures in it,” Karen said, once her scanning was complete.

“Sweet, let’s get to work then,” Peter said, jumping from his perch and swinging toward the roof of the warehouse. He landed deftly on top of the metal roof and crawled on all fours toward an open window. He peeked inside to spy on the scene below him.

“Okay, so when is the boss coming?” one of the men asked as he paced anxiously in front of the other five.

“Soon, he said he has some big news for us,” another one said.

Peter looked up and around the area. “Karen, you notice any cars coming this direction or anything?”

“Not yet,” Karen replied.

Peter turned his attention back to the men in the warehouse. “Hmm, now what are you guys doing down there?” he asked himself aloud. “Clearly nothing good if you have to meet in an abandoned warehouse at the edge of town. Man, criminals get so predictable, don’t they Karen?”

“I have not run my analysis of previous experiences yet, but…”

“No, no, Karen, that was a rhetorical question,” Peter interrupted quickly.

“Oh, yes, again the small finesses of the human language still confuse me a bit.”

“It’s okay. But, it’s pretty cool that you could give me that answer,” Peter replied. “Okay, let’s sneak in for a closer look, yeah?”

He slipped into the window and planted himself firmly on the wall, slowly climbing up onto the ceiling. He hid in the most shadowed part to give himself cover.

“I just hope he has something for us,” the first man continued. “With that spider-guy on the loose, I can’t seem to move product at all.”

“Yeah, I want to crush that little punk’s skull if I get a chance,” another said through gritted teeth.

“And soon you just might get your chance!” They all looked out toward the opening of the warehouse where a slim figured man, with a shaved head, strolled in, another man following him. Something that had caught Peter’s eye instantly was a large scorpion tattoo on his neck.

“Yuck, why would he get that on his neck?” Peter whispered incredulously.

The other man was heavy-set man in a blue work suit who looked out of place. Peter thought he may have been a hostage except he didn’t seem too afraid walking next to the other man, and he wasn’t bound or gagged.

“Mac!” the first man exclaimed walking up quickly to give the scorpion-tattooed man a hug. They embraced each other tightly.

“Angus, I’m glad you guys got my message,” Mac said as they broke apart.

“I can’t believe it, you broke out! How’d you do that?”

“Long story, but the point of it is I’m out and I’m ready to take down that asshole in tights,” he replied, stepping back and gesturing toward the heavy-set man. “Gents, this is Phineas Mason.” The man waved slightly.  “He used to work for Adrian Toomes.”

Peter’s ears perked up at the mention of his old crush’s dad. He crawled along the ceiling slowly to try to get a bit closer.

 “Yes, that’s right,” Phineas said. “I was the one who designed his suit, and the weapons.”

“Is that so?” Angus said, surprised. “I thought all of Toomes’ guys were caught along with him?”

“I went into hiding during our last heist that got hijacked. He made sure I was protected… until now,” he glanced sideways at Mac.

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that. You gotta blame your buddy Toomes, he gave up your location,” Mac replied jovially.

“I’m sure he gave it up with his own free will,” Phineas replied coolly.

“Wait did Toomes tell you who the Spider-Man was?” Angus asked anxiously.

Peter could feel his heart start to pound quickly. If anyone could reveal his secret to these bad guys it would be Adrian Toomes. Peter would never forget the look on his face that night in the car outside of homecoming when he threatened Peter and his loved ones’ lives.

“No, he didn’t. He insists he doesn’t know,” Mac said angrily. “But he was more than willing to give us your name, Phineas… as a possible ally.”

“You want me to make weapons for you,” Phineas said bluntly. “Listen, I’m out of that business now, and I would like to keep it that way.”

“Then you probably should have fought me harder when I came for you,” Mac retorted, brandishing a large barreled handgun. “Listen, you want revenge for what happened to your old boss? To your crew? You want that Spider-Man floating in the river with a bullet in his head? Then you help us out.”

Phineas sighed and put up his hands in resignation. “All right, I’ll help. So what do I need to do?”

“We’re gonna start moving some product and we need protection.”

“What makes you think what I can for you is any different or will yield any different result than what I did for Adrian?”

“Because we have the Goblin on our side,” Mac whispered his lips curling into a mischievous smile.

“There’s that guy’s name again, Karen,” Peter sighed. “Okay, I think it’s time I crashed this party, what do you think?”

“Which web combination would you like to start off with?”

Peter scrunched his face up, “Uh, let’s just stick with the regular one okay?” He let one hand off the ceiling and aimed his web shooter at Angus. The webs shot out and stuck to his gun and Peter pulled.

The men started exclaiming, more guns coming out from underneath their coats.

Peter flung Angus’ gun away and flipped off the wall, landing deftly on the floor across from the men. “Hey guys, my ears were itching, so I figured you must have been talking about me? What’s going on?”

Phineas yelped and got behind Mac. “You want me to help you, get me out of here!” he said frightened.

“Get him!” Mac shouted. At once the six guys, including Angus ran toward Peter, who flipped and swung circles around them. As he swung back around, he used the momentum to kick Angus from behind with both feet. “Hey look, I’m doing Cap’s moves now!” He exclaimed. He heard the sound of a gun and could nearly sense the bullet coming toward him, ducking and rolling away. The bullet ended up getting Angus right in the leg.

“ARRGH! My damn leg!” He shouted, falling. “Mac, you bastard!”

“Sorry man,” Mac said, as he pushed Phineas out the door, his arm outstretched behind him spraying bullets toward Peter’s direction.

“Hey, you okay man,” Peter asked crouching down to look at Angus’ leg.

“Gerroff me!” Angus shouted. Just then the other five guys came at Peter.

“Jeez I was just trying to help!” Peter said. “Activate taser webs!” He hit his web shooters aiming them at the two guys on the outside, the webs hitting them square in the chest and electrocuting them. They fell the to the floor writhing in pain. The other three started attacking him, throwing punches and kicks. Peter blocked one punch, only to be taken from behind. He flipped a guy over onto his back, only to get kicked behind the knees. “Ugh, I hate when they do a three on one!” Peter grunted, grabbing one of the guys’ arms and flipping over him, taking the guy with him and throwing him into a large crate. He shot out his web and swung out of the fight, choosing to use Tony’s old advice of keeping his distance and webbing them up. He hit the first one with a web and then used him to swing around the other three and tie them up in the webbing.  The three men fell to the floor, trying to wriggle their way out of his webbing.

Peter landed and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Okay, I’m gonna call the cops now because your buddy over there needs medical attention,” he pointed to Angus who was moaning and holding his leg. “Care to tell me what you’re are planning on unleashing? Or should I say the Goblin is planning to unleash?”

“Fuck you, Spider-Man,” one of the guys spat as he continued to squirm under the webbing.

Peter sighed. “Okay, there’s no need for that kind of language,” he shot out a web that covered the man’s mouth. He continued to shout at Peter, muffled. “Anyone else?”

“The Goblin’s promised us some new product, some type of drug, we’ve never seen before. He promises that it will get everyone hooked.”

“Dude, drugs, really?” Peter shook his head. “You guys need another way to make a living, you know that?” they all just glared at him. “Okay, what can you tell me about this Goblin guy,” the guy started to speak but Peter quickly clarified, “Other than that he has it out for me. I got it.”

“He’s crazy man,” Angus piped up. “You do not want to cross that guy. He’s on something for sure, he’s really strong and is power hungry. Fed the Chinese mafia’s leader to his own dogs. He got his own fucking dogs to turn on him. He’s nuts.”

“What’s his real name?”

“Psh, like he’d tell any of us. No one knows. We don’t even know what he really looks like.”

“Yeah, goblin mask and all that I know,” Peter muttered. He heard the squeal of tires coming to a stop and then the sound of police running toward the warehouse. “Shoot, times up… Okay, I gotta run. Thanks for the info guys!” He shot out a web and swung up and out of the warehouse window that he entered through.

Once he was clear of the warehouse, Peter climbed to the top of an apartment building and tore his mask off, taking deep breaths. He looked out over his neighborhood, the wheels turning in his mind. Who was this Goblin? He had a hold over all of the criminals in the city, and his reach seemed to be expanding every day. And what plans did Mac have for Phineas? He seemed important enough to the guy’s mission to protect him over the other guys. Did he really want him to make more weapons for them? Where were they getting the tech from? Peter was sure that when he took Adrian down, Damage Control had confiscated all of their inventory. He ran a hand through his hair. He wondered if he should call Tony and let him know. Tony would know what to do, what to look for.

 _Yeah, but if you tell Tony, he’ll want you to stay out of it_ , Peter thought. _He gave you back the suit to help the city, not get involved in drug deals and criminal wars_.

 _Okay, but if you don’t try to stop it, then you’re not helping the city_ , he argued with himself. _Maybe it’s better if Tony doesn’t know yet. Not until you have more to go on._

He knew he had to wait. Tony was busy anyway trying to still rebuild the Avengers after everything that had happened last year. Peter knew better than to bug him too much. Especially when he wasn’t quite sure yet what he was dealing with. He slipped his mask back on and jumped off the roof, deciding that he needed to find out more before he told Tony.


	5. These Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter guys! again just want to thank you all for leaving kudos, comments and bookmarking my story, it means so much to me!

_She was standing there on top of the roof, admiring the city lights. “If I were easily swooned, I would be jumping your bones right now,” she commented, looking back at him. Peter, dressed in his Spider-Man suit walked up to her and slid his hand in hers. She gave him a genuine smile, her toffee-colored skin glowing from the fluorescent lights around them. She pushed her curls out of her face._

_“I’m really glad you know now,” he said, squeezing her hand. He then pulled her from the edge and closer to his body._

_She slowly kissed his nose, then his right cheek and then his left cheek. “Me too. I should have known it though, it was so obvious. I’m smarter than this, usually. But with you,” she shook her head. “You make everything all jumbled up inside.”_

_Peter closed the gap between their faces, pressing his lips softly against hers. He snaked his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. He didn’t want the kiss to end. “MJ,” he moaned through their kiss. He felt her hand press against the spider on the center of his suit, loosening it up. He let it slip off his body, leaving him in his boxers. He shivered slightly from the cold air, but MJ pressed him close to her body, the heat from her touch heating him up. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around him, his fingers pressing into her soft skin enjoying the feeling, before lowering her down onto the floor of the roof._

_“Peter,” she whispered, her eyes heavy with desire. She slipped off her shirt, exposing a lacy black bra. He watched her for a second, awed by her beauty. “Come here,” she murmured, pulling him back down on top of her._

Peter woke with a start, sweat beading on his forehead. “What the hell was that?” he gasped. He had had kind of sexual dreams before (He was 16 after all), but never about her, never about MJ. He looked over at his phone and hit the center button. It read 7:35 AM. “Shit, shit, shit, shit I’m gonna be late!” He exclaimed, jumping out of bed. He then looked down at his boxers and cringed. “Crap, okay think of something bad… uhh, Principal Morita in his underwear,” Peter made a face, “yeah, that’ll do it.”

He swung open his closet door, pulling out the first t-shirt and jeans he could find. He heard a rapid knock on his door. “Peter! You’re gonna be late!” Aunt May shouted.

“Yeah, I know, I’m up!” he shouted back. “Give me a minute!”  he pulled on his clothes and then swung open the door. Aunt May was standing there, giving him a skeptical look. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I must have forgotten to set my alarm,” he apologized, hurrying down the hall to the bathroom. He grabbed his toothbrush, loaded it up with toothpaste and started brushing his teeth at rapid speed.

“Peter, I told you, you could keep up the whole Spider-thing, if you didn’t let it take over everything else, especially school.”

“My MNot! My Mjust Morgot,” Peter said his mouth full of toothpaste. A little fell out, dripping onto his chin, and Peter gasped, quickly wiping it up with his finger.

“Okay, bud, I can’t understand you.”

Peter spit out the toothpaste and took a handful of water, swished it around his mouth and spat it out. “I said, I just forgot,” he repeated. “It was a crazy night last night… not that anything bad happened!” He quickly corrected himself as he combed some gel into his hair, pushing it back out of his face.

“Right, because when you’re fighting crime in a body suit, nothing bad ever happens,” May replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s not a body suit,” Peter said, hurt. “It’s my uh… Okay, it’s kind of a body suit,” he conceded. “But I promise, this won’t happen again,” he said, grabbing his backpack from his room and heading for the front door.

“It better not!” May shouted after him as he headed out of the apartment.

Peter pressed the elevator button multiple times, groaning as he watched the number on top counting up from one. “Forget it,” he muttered, pushing the doors to the stairwell open and racing down them, skipping four or five steps at a time. Sometimes, having his Spider-Man powers was helpful in certain every day situations.

Heading to the subway station, Peter passed by a newsstand. He stopped short when he saw a blown-up photo of him as Spider-Man swinging between buildings. The headline read “Masked Menace Continues to Wreak Havoc on Queens.”

 _What?_ Peter thought, picking the paper up. He pulled his wallet out and placed a dollar on the counter before running off to catch the train.

Once he found a seat, he opened the newspaper, shocked to read the article about his alter ego. The writer, who also happened to be the Editor-in-Chief, J. Jameson, chastised Spider-Man for hiding his identity, claimed that he was hurting the city more than he was helping, and was an all-around danger to the community, distracting the city from its real problems. Peter stared at the article dumbfounded. He understood why people felt uneasy about him not showing his face; but he couldn’t understand the rest of it. _Crime is down, the streets are safer, how am I ruining the community? And why does my identity matter so much?_ He quickly folded the paper up and stuffed it into his backpack, his mood getting sourer by the minute.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter stared at his food on his lunch tray. He couldn’t focus on much else, even though the meatloaf that the cafeteria lady slapped on his tray looked completely unappetizing.

“Are you planning on eating that?” Ned asked him, who was sitting next to him, scarfing down his own meatloaf.

Peter looked up and over at him, “Uh, I dunno, but how are you eating it?”

“I’m pretending it’s my mom’s meatloaf, which is heaven,” Ned replied, taking another bite. “Come on man, you’ve been weird all morning. Unless the verbal diarrhea you spit out when Michelle said hello to you is now how you’re really talking.”

Peter groaned. “I looked like a complete idiot, didn’t I?”

Ned used his fork to pick up Peter’s piece of meatloaf. “Yeah, you did. What’s up with that?”

“I don’t know, man, a lot has happened the last few weeks. This Goblin guy keeps popping up,”

“You’ve seen him?”

“No, but his name keeps popping up, and I ran into this, I can’t even call it a drug deal, but they were talking about drugs, and one of the guys was in prison with Liz’s dad, and,”

“Liz’s dad? Did he tell them who you were?” Ned’s eyes went wide.

“No, thank God. But they had some guy who worked with Mr. Toomes with them, and they were talking about making weapons, and the Goblin, and I feel like I don’t even know where to start,” Peter sighed, pushing his tray away. “And then I had this dream last night,”

“Whatcha nerds talking about?”

Peter looked up and saw Michelle coming toward them, her tray in her hand with a paperback copy of Gloria Steinem’s _My Life on the Road_ on top of it. She looked like she was wearing makeup, something completely out of the ordinary for her. Peter thought she was beautiful without makeup, but  Peter’s mind instantly went back to the image of her laying beneath him in his dream. _Oh crap_ , he thought, feeling his pants tightening suddenly. She sat down across from them and bit into her apple.

“Uh, n…n…nothing,” Peter stammered. “Just talking about dreams.”

“Dreams huh? You know dreams are really just your subconscious’ way of telling truths about yourself,” she replied through bites. “I mean, that’s what a therapist would say anyway. What kind of dream was it?”

Peter glanced at Ned who looked at him curiously. “Uh, well, you know, it was super Freudian, not really worth mentioning.”

She shrugged. “Whatever.” She picked up her book, found the page she had dog-eared, and started reading. Peter watched her, the way her eyebrows furrowed together as she concentrated, her lips pursed. There was so much hidden in her face. Peter wanted to know what she was thinking. Feeling uncomfortable, Peter moved in his seat to adjust himself, and ended up kicking her feet in the process. She looked up at him and smirked, “are you playing footsie with me Peter?” Peter’s face went white, his eyes wide. She raised an eyebrow. “Relax, I’m just kidding.”

“Hey there he is!” Flash came up to their table, followed by Harry. “How’s it going Parker?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Hi Flash.”

“How’s your buddy Spider-Man doing today? Did I tell you he’s best buds with Spider-Man?” Flash said to Harry with a smirk. Harry didn’t seem like he was paying much attention however. He looked as distracted as Peter felt. “So do you guys hang out and go for pizza and stuff?” Flash continued. “Do you go on double dates and talk about how awesome he is and how lame you are?”

“I…I…”

Flash laughed. “yeah, that’s what I thought.” He then placed his foot on the stool next to Michelle. “Hey Michelle, I wanted to ask you something by the way.”

Michelle set her book down and turned toward him, “Is that right? If it’s answers to the decathlon questions for today’s practice, you can forget it.”

“No, I wouldn’t do something like that!” Flash said in mock horror. Michelle rolled her eyes, and it made Peter smile. “No, I was actually thinking that we’d hang out sometime, you know just you and me? I can pick you up in my dad’s BMW, we can go for a ride,” He gave her a sleazy smile, which made Peter’s stomach turn. He waited with bated breath to see how Michelle would respond. He couldn’t believe Flash was actually asking Michelle on a date, but he would be even more shocked if she actually said yes.

Michelle just stared at him, blinking several times. “You’re playing with me, right?” she finally said after a few seconds.

Flash looked confused. “No, I’m not.”

“Wow, really? Okay, then let me break this down for you Flash. You and I are never going to be a thing. First off, I’m pretty sure besides my legs and my ass, you don’t really like me that much, and I sure as hell know I don’t like you either, particularly as a person. Your whole shtick is so, antiquated. So I think I’m going to have to pass, if it’s all the same to you.”

Peter glanced at Ned who stifled a laugh. Flash’s face went red and his lips went straight. “You literally have no friends except these two losers, and you would be so lucky to go out on a date with me. What are you already going out with Parker?” He pointed his thumb over in Peter’s direction.

Michelle glanced at Peter, who squirmed uncomfortably in his seat again. “Peter would be a thousand times better boyfriend than you, Flash.”

Peter felt as if he would jump on top of his chair and cheer. Except, he knew he shouldn’t because she wasn’t saying she liked him, right? And it didn’t matter because he didn’t like her like that right?

Flash’s eyes lit up with anger. “Yeah right. He’d ditch you the minute he had something more important to do, like he does with everything.” He stood up and turned to Harry. “Let’s get out of here, I feel like I’m becoming more of a loser just standing here.”

Harry, who finally seemed to have come back to the present from wherever his mind was just nodded and followed him to their table. 

Michelle let out a low whistle. “Wow, that was something else, right?” she said to Ned and Peter.

“Y…Yeah, weird,” Peter replied, watching Harry as he and Flash sat down at their table. While Flash and Michelle’s interaction had interested him, his other sense, the spider one, couldn’t help but focus in on Harry’s strange behavior. He had only seen Harry a handful of times since they first met, but every time he did see him, he seemed distant, consumed by his thoughts. When he talked to him, the very rare times he did, he sure didn’t seem all that contemplative. “Hey, did you guys notice that Harry seems off today?”

Michelle turned around to look at Harry. “If you’re talking about how he’s being a Debbie Downer and basically not even paying attention to anything around him, then yeah, I noticed.”  She buried her nose back into her book.

Peter sighed, “of course you did.” He looked over at Ned who looked back at him,

“Do you think,” Ned said, lowering his voice, “That he’s a villain or something?”

Peter looked at him, unconvinced. “Ned, he’s not Anakin Skywalker.”

“Well with that blond hair and his moody behavior, he could be,” Michelle piped up.

Peter and Ned looked at each other wide-eyed. Peter mouthed to him, ‘No more,’ and Ned nodded.

 

* * *

 

After school, Peter and Ned were sitting in the seats of the auditorium waiting for their academic decathlon practice to start. Mr. Harrison and Michelle were arguing over practice teams, while the rest of the team was laughing and goofing around.

“Dude, you’ve been super strange all day,” Ned whispered. “Are you still thinking about last night?”

Peter glanced around to make sure no one was near them and sunk lower in his seat, prompting Ned to do the same. “Kind of. I just don’t know who this Goblin guy is, and he’s starting to take over the city, I mean at least all the criminals in the city. These guys all sounds so confident that this guy is going to get me, and I feel like I need to be doing _something more_ about it than just swinging around the city, webbing them up for the cops to catch.”

“You mean like do investigative work like Sherlock Holmes?!” Ned asked excitedly.

“Yeah, like Sherlock,” Peter conceded.

“So, I get to be Dr. Watson? This is so cool,” Ned exclaimed in a low voice.

“Yeah, maybe then I can do some real good so that the newspapers will stop calling me a menace,” Peter said glumly.

“Huh?”

Peter pulled the Daily Bugle out of his backpack and handed it to Ned. Ned looked at the article and rolled his eyes. “Come on Peter, you’re Spider-Man, you’ll always have critics.”

“Yeah, but what if what he’s saying is true? What if I am making the city worse instead of better? I mean Mr. Stark did take the suit away from me last year for a reason.”

Ned placed a hand on his shoulder. “Dude, stop. He also gave it back to you because he realized you are meant to do this. I mean out of all the people that the spider chose to bite, it chose you,”

“I’m not sure that it chose me,” Peter interrupted.

“Bu..bu..bu…bu it chose you. That’s my explanation and I’m sticking to it. Look, Flash says stupid stuff about you all the time, but does that make them true?”

“Parker, Leeds, you two ladies care to join us?”

They looked up at Flash who was smirking at them. The rest of the team had started to gather around Michelle and Mr. Harrison. Michelle was giving them both impatient looks. Peter quickly hopped up and over the two rows in front of him, landing lightly on his feet.

“Wow Parker, training for track or something?” Flash retorted, as the kids all stared at him, impressed.

Peter realizing what he did, silently cursed at himself. Ned, meanwhile, was out of breath, clamoring down the row and around the others to get to the front of the stage. “S..ss…ssorry MJ, we were studying,” Peter quickly apologized.

“Peter, while I’m glad you haven’t missed a practice since I’ve been captain, you still have to pay attention,” she said sharply.  

“Yeah, yeah, my bad,” he said.

“Okay, so Mr. Harrison and I finally agreed on our practice teams for the year. When I call your name, head on up to the blue table: Abe, Cindy, Charles, and Flash. Red table: Peter, Ned, Sally, and myself.”

The students all split up and sat down at their respective tables. Mr. Harrison stood at the podium between the two tables. “Okay guys, I’m very excited about this year. Now, do your best in practices because we have quite a few local competitions coming up to prepare for the regional competition by December. Again, I want to thank Michelle for taking on our team captain role for this year, and let’s keep this trophy,” He gestured to the trophy from the national competition that was sitting on the podium, “in our trophy case for another year.”

Peter felt Michelle sit down next to him, the fabric of her shirt brushing against him. He sucked in his breath, baffled by the way his heart started to beat quickly, unsure of the images swimming in his mind. _I should have known it though_ , she whispered in his mind. He threw her a sideways glance, watching  the way she bit her lip as she concentrated on writing down the problem…. _Wait, writing down the problem?_ He realized that Mr. Harrison had started the practice and he was so completely lost in his thoughts, he didn’t even hear him ask the first question. _Shit_ , he thought, quickly bowing his head over his notepad to look like he was working.

Michelle raised her hand first.

“Red team!” Mr. Harrison called out.

“X equals 457,” Michelle answered.

“Correct! Okay next question, who introduced the theory of punctuated equilibrium?”

Peter tried to remain focused on the questions for the rest of practice and not on Michelle’s face. The two teams were neck and neck throughout the entire practice, letting it all come down to the final round question. “Okay, last question to break the tie: This structure formed the hereditary unit in the pangenesis theory,”

Peter’s mind switched on suddenly, recalling Professor Connors’s evolution lessons. He raised his hand and said, “ Gemmule.”

Mr. Harrison smiled. “That’s correct Peter! Looks like Red team wins it for today!”

Ned, Sally, Peter and even Michelle, jumped up in elation. “Woo hoo!” Peter exclaimed, feeling the rush of winning. He looked over at Michelle who was smiling at him.

“Great job, way to win it for us last minute.”

Peter wasn’t sure if he had thought she was going in for one, or if he had imagined it, but he felt compelled to hug her, so he did, wrapping his arms around hers locking her against his body for just a millisecond. He could smell her soft woodsy body spray as he held her in his arms. It was heady. However, the hug was a millisecond too long because when he pulled away, she was looking at him, half amused, half shocked. “Wow, um, yeah,” she quickly turned away from him and made her way to the podium with Mr. Harrison. She turned to look back at the team, her eyes avoiding his. “Good job today, guys. Definitely work on response times, I’m looking at you Charles, other teams can swoop in if they are faster and even if we have the answer, it won’t matter. So, um, yeah, I’ll see you guys Thursday.”

With that, she adjourned the practice and everyone scattered to gather their things. Peter jumped off the stage and grabbed his backpack. He wondered if he should go apologize for just hugging her like that, but she clearly didn’t want to give him the chance because she was already making her way out of the auditorium.

“Dude, did you just hug MJ?” Ned asked as he walked up beside him.

“Yeah, Ned, I did,” Peter sighed.


	6. I Think We're Alone Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay everyone! I was traveling over the weekend and went to the beach at the beginning of the week with limited WiFi. However, here is the latest chapter! A little bit of MJ, a little bit of Aaron Davis because my favorite addition to the movie was most definitely Donald Glover!

“I thought you wanted me to make you weapons?”

Phineas pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, while scanning the display sitting on the table in front of him. It looked more like a laboratory than a mechanic’s shop. There were petri dishes and test tubes in holders; clear containers containing different types of liquids and substances and Bunsen burners.  Mac and several of his men stood around staring at the table with a look of malicious desire. Mac clapped Phineas on the back, nearly knocking his glasses back off.

“Phinny, my friend, you’re going to be helping us make the product.”

“But you said…”

“I know what I said, sure you can make us some weapons, but what I really need is someone who can make the product.”

“I thought you said that the Goblin, or whoever he was, was bringing you that,” Phineas protested.

“No, he’s brought us the formula and the ingredients. We just have to make it and distribute it.” He pushed some papers into Phineas’ chest. “Here you go.”

Phineas clutched the papers tightly and looked over them, his face betraying his feelings of shock. “What is this?”

“The future,” Mac whispered, a wide grin spread across his face. “Think of it, a pill that makes you stronger, faster, almost invincible.”

“But… it’s not…. Permanent?” Phineas asked slowly.

“No, that’s the beauty of it. Once people get a taste for it, they’ll be coming back for more. Hooked instantly. It’s better than real drugs because you’re completely in control when you’re using it.

“No side effects?”

“The fat man asks a lot of questions for someone who’s not in a position to be asking those questions.” The cold, high-pitched voice came out of nowhere, startling Phineas who dropped the papers he was holding.

Mac and his crew looked up and around, and suddenly from the top corner of the building, a metallic winged glider descended upon them, carrying a man concealed in dark green sleek body armor. What was more frightening however was the realistic mask that covered his face. Its skin was a sickly green color, the nose crooked and long. Its eyes were wide and yellow, a look of permanent mischief its face. The glider came to a running halt in front of Phineas who squeaked out a cry. The man crouched down to come face-to-face with Phineas. “Do you have a problem with the way things are working now?” he asked Phineas grabbing his face and pinching it together with an inhuman-like strength.

“N…N…No,” Phineas stammered.

The Goblin let out a low cackle. “That’s the right answer,” He shook Phineas’ cheeks a bit before letting go of his face. He then turned his glider around to face Mac. “You are sure he can get the job done? He doesn’t seem willing to do it.”

Mac took a few steps back. “I’m sure of it,” He looked beyond the Goblin and gave Phineas a threatening look. Phineas just nodded furiously, still nursing his bruised cheeks with his hand. “He will get it done.”

The Goblin shook his head. “I just don’t think he will.” He sighed. “I’ll just bring people in to do it.”  He pulled out something small from the side of his pant leg and whipped it behind him. The small metal throwing star sliced across Phineas’ throat spraying a bright red blood all over the floor. Phineas gurgled and crumpled to the floor, gasping and choking on his own blood. The Goblin looked behind him. “Ah, that’s beautiful,” he sighed. He then turned to face Mac again, whose hand was on the stock of his gun. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you. I have something else in mind for you.” He jumped off the glider and stalked toward Mac, who took two steps back.

“L….l…look I said I’d get this done and I will,” Mac said. He heard his guys pull their guns out, and Mad lifted a hand signaling to lower them.

“Oh, I believe you. Mac Gargan, why else do you think I chose you?” He grabbed Mac by the collar of his shirt. “I have big plans for you.”

“You do?” Mac said surprised.

“Yes, you’re going to help me catch Spider-Man.” He let out a low cackle that grew discordant, jumped on his glider, and lifted Mac into the air along with him, speeding off.

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, Karen, scroll through last night,” Peter ordered his AI, while he was laying down on the bottom bunk. Karen projected the video into the air and started playing.  Peter waved his hand flippantly, “No, past that, let’s get to the warehouse.”

“Hey Peter, I have a question,” Ned asked, looking up from his Spanish textbook.

“Yeah? No, Karen, did we not get a good look at that guy’s face?”

“So, I was thinking about maybe, I don’t know… do you think I should ask Betty out?”

Peter whipped his head in Ned’s direction. “Pause, Karen.”

“Certainly, Peter,” the AI answered.

“You like Betty?” Peter asked, a little surprised.

“Yeah, why are you acting all shocked about it?” Ned asked, slightly offended.

“Because this is the first time you’ve mentioned it!” Peter exclaimed. “I didn’t know you liked her.”

Ned shrugged and closed his textbook. “She’s cute you know? And she’s really nice.”

“Yeah, yeah, she is,” Peter agreed. He looked back at the image that Karen had paused on. “Hey, there you are!”

Ned stood up and came around to get a better look. “That’s the guy named Mac?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, he’s the one who found Mr. Toomes’ guy. Okay, Karen, can you run a scan on his face and see what we come up with.”

“Of course Peter, scanning now.” The screen switched over to her search database.

“So, if you like her ask her out,” Peter said, encouragingly.

Ned sighed. “But do you think she will say yes? I mean, come on man, I’m not you.”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “You mean a skinny, nerdy white kid?”

“No, you’re Spider-Man! You’re all strong, and flexible, and can climb walls! And you’ve always been kind of charming, and”

“Um, do you want to date me?” Peter joked.

“You know what I mean,” Ned muttered.

Peter placed a hand on his shoulder. “Ned, you’re a cool guy. Betty would definitely want to go out with you. You just have to ask her. I mean that’s what I did with Liz last year.” He wondered if he should have mentioned his dream about Michelle at that moment, or the feelings that have been creeping up into his insides, refusing to leave.

“Scan complete,” Karen’s voice interrupted.

They both turned their heads to look at the screen.

“Mac Gargan, been in and out of prison for the last 15 years. Was most recently arrested during the Staten Island Ferry illegal weapons bust last October.”

“Oh, now I know why he hates me so much,” Peter mumbled. The guy was part of the crew that Toomes was trying to sell weapons too that day Peter messed everything up and pissed off Tony.

“So we have a motive on the guy, but why is he working with this Goblin dude?” Ned asked.

“We have to find him first, interrogate him, and then maybe we will get some answers,” Peter replied. He looked at Ned, who looked uneasy. “Yeah, I mean I’ll do all that stuff,” Peter corrected.

Ned sighed. “Good deal. So, how do you find the guy?”

Peter looked back at the projected screen. “Hey Karen, any information in the police reports about any hideout locations or anything?”

“Nothing of substance, Peter,” she replied. “A name has popped up in connection with him as far as known associates though.”

Peter’s eyes lit up. “Ned, I gotta go.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Pick up the damn rocket launcher, man, pick it up and shoot that mother fucker! Oh shit, man he got me!”

“Dude, I can’t concentrate with you screaming at me!”

The seedy navy-blue couch was buckling a bit under the weight of three grown men yelling at each other in front of the large flat screen TV. They were surrounded by several empty Hurricane bottles and empty bags of chips, torn candy wrappers, and crushed up red plastic cups. One of them, with an oversized Knicks shirt hiding the several rolls built up underneath, had jumped up off the couch, spilling over a full bag of Cheetos, shouting and pointing his Xbox controller at the screen. “Did you see that? Did you fucking see that!?” he shouted.

“Dude, we all saw it, calm down,” Aaron Davis said as he walked into the living room from the small kitchen. “You need to chill, I don’t want the neighbors calling the cops again about noise. I’m not tryin’ to draw any attention to myself.” He set down the box of pizza he was holding.

“Hey Aaron, this from Benny’s place?” asked one of the other guys, grabbing a piece and trying to keep all of the hot cheese from coming off.

“Nah, that place sucks. It’s from Angel’s place,” Aaron replied, taking a seat on the small love seat cattycorner from the couch the other three guys were sitting on. “How long we have, I wanna get in on the next game.”

Just then, the window across from him opened up and Peter poked his masked face into the room. “Hey guys! Who’s winning?”

“Holy shit!” The three on the couch all jumped up simultaneously, each pulling a Glock out of the waistband of their jeans.

Peter quickly sprayed his webbing at each of them, knocking the guns out of their hands and plastering their arms to the sofa.

“What the fuck man!?” another shouted.

Aaron sighed and stood up. “Man, you should know better than to interrupt Halo night,” he said, casually strolling over to the window where Peter was climbing through.

“Oh,” Peter looked around and saw the controllers now sitting on the floor, the game still going on the screen in front of them. “Hey, my bad man.”

“You dumbass, you’re ruining my score!” one of them complained.

Peter winced. “Sorry.”

Aaron crossed his arms over his chest and gave Peter an impatient look. “What do you want, Spider-Man?”

“You know this guy?” He pressed the center button on his suit and a projection came out of it with Mac’s face.”

“Yeah, I know him, what you want me to snitch on him too?” Aaron shook his head. “Look man, I’m not gonna be your go-to guy whenever some criminal is up to no good, all right? I still have a reputation to keep up.”

“Honor among thieves?” Peter retorted.

“Something like that. Look, kid,”

“I’m not a kid!”

“Sure you’re not. Look, you’re just gonna have to figure this shit out on your own.”

Peter hit the button again shutting the projection off. “He’s into something bad, I just have a feeling. He’s got plans to put something dangerous on the market, and he’s working with that Goblin guy…”

“Wait, what?” Aaron stepped back. “Uh, uh, nope I ain’t getting involved with anything that guy’s involved with,” he looked back at his friends, “Andre over there lost his cousin to that lunatic.”

Peter looked around Aaron. “Yeah,” Andre said, “He murdered him in cold blood. I told Marcus not to do deals with the guy, any guy who calls himself the Goblin can’t be good news, but he didn’t listen and he’s dead.”

“Yeah, so why do you want to go messin’ around tryin’ to find him?” Aaron asked.

“Because he wants to find me and kill me,” Peter replied. “And I would like to find him first. And if this guy, Mac, is the only connection I have, I have to go off it.” He held out his hands. “Come on man, please?”

“You know, first, you have to stop just popping into people’s houses without warning you know? It just ain’t right. Second, if the guys’ hunting you, I see why you want to get to him first. I respect that.”

Peter could feel himself grinning, even if they couldn’t see it. “Awesome, and yeah, sorry, I usually don’t knock in this get up.”

“Yeah because you’re weird looking, I got you.” Aaron grabbed a piece of paper off the desk behind the couch. “Okay, here’s the address of the place he used to use to do business. I don’t know if he still does because I’ve stopped all that and he’s been in prison for a while, last I heard, but it’s the best place to start.” He handed the piece of paper to Peter.

“Thanks man, I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, I bet you do. Now can you get my guys out of that stuff?”

Peter ambled over to the three men on the couch and pulled the webbing off of them. “There you guys go, really sorry about that.” He gave them a nod and then made for the window. “Hey good luck on the rest of your games,” he said weakly, as they all glared at him.

“Yeah, you better go now,” Aaron said, “Because you just shot Terrence’s ranking.”

Peter gulped. “Bye guys!” He shouted, deftly jumping through the window and swinging to the next roof top. Once he settled on top of the roof top of the apartment building across from Aaron’s, he slipped the piece of paper in a small hidden pocket on his suit, the same one in which he kept his cell phone. It was then he heard the phone vibrate. “Ned,” he sighed, pulling the phone out of his pocket. Instead, he was surprised to see Michelle’s name and picture pop up. He hit the answer button. “Hey MJ, what’s up?” he said as casually as possible.

“What’s up?” she echoed back.” Um, can you explain to me why I’m here at your Aunt’s house to study, like we agreed, and you’re not here?”

“Shoot,” Peter muttered under his breath. ”Uh, I just stepped out for a second. I’ll be right there okay?!”

“You better be. I’m not failing this biochem test next week,” she said threateningly.

“Yeah, course not, be there soon.” He hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He had to be careful about this, because he had to get to his room, change his clothes and then come back out and up through the front door. Michelle was too observant sometimes, and he didn’t want to risk one more person knowing his secret. He swung across the city scape, crawling up the sides of buildings, leaping off rooftops, until he made it to his apartment building. He climbed down to his window on the seventh floor and just as he was about to slide open the window, he had a thought. Surely, his Aunt would be trying to keep Michelle entertained in the living room or kitchen and she wouldn’t be in his room, but then again, that’s how Ned ended up finding out about his alter ego. “Hey Karen, can you scan my room to see if anyone’s inside?”

“Looking for any heat signatures now,” she replied. “Anyone in particular we are looking for?”

“Uh, MJ?” Peter said quietly.

“The pretty girl whose been texting you a lot lately?”

“Ummm, has she been? I haven’t noticed,” Peter said, his voice hitting an octave higher than normal. “Hey! What are you doing going through my phone?”

“You gave me access to your phone, I analyze all data and look for patterns.”

“Oh boy, do you? Well that’s just great,” Peter mumbled.

“If you like her, wouldn’t it be prudent to tell her your secret?” Karen asked.

“What?! No, too many people know already Karen,” and then as an afterthought he added. “And I don’t like her.”

“Peter, I am not an expert on human emotions, but your heart rate is elevated, and your skin has started to secrete sweat as we talk about her.”

“Karen!” He exclaimed, frustrated. “Stop analyzing me, and tell me if anyone’s in my room.”

“No, Peter, no one is in your room.”

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Karen. That’ll be all.” He opened the window, slipped inside his room, and quickly changed out of his suit and into a pair of jeans and an ironic shirt about gravity. He grabbed a hoodie, threw it on over top and then slipped back out of his room and climbed down the tree just outside and ran back into the building from the entrance.

He stopped right outside of his apartment door, quickly flattening his hair before opening up the door.

“There he is!” He walked in and saw Aunt May and MJ sitting on the couch, drinking tea. _What the hell is this_? He thought.

“Hey May, hey MJ, I am so sorry, I was walking Ned home, I completely forgot about our study session,” Peter said quickly walking over to them.

“it’s okay, your Aunt and I were having a great discussion about the Sokovia Accords,” she replied.

“Yes,” Aunt May said, standing up and winking at Peter. “MJ feels the same way I do about the whole nonsense.” She walked over to Peter and gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You two have fun studying,” she said, giving him the biggest, goofiest smile ever. Peter raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, thanks, May, we’ll try.” He looked over at MJ. “Um, you want to go to my room to study… if that’s okay with you,” he said, looking at his Aunt again.

“Of course it’s okay!” May said, swinging her long auburn hair to the side and leaning against the island in the small kitchen. “You two kids have fun!”

Peter felt his face turning red, embarrassed by his Aunt’s very cheery attitude. He had never had a girl in his room before, so he was surprised she seemed so accommodating. “Right, um, okay, let’s go,” he said quickly to MJ, who was already standing and adjusting her backpack on her shoulders. She gave May a warm smile, which surprised Peter.

“Thanks for the tea, Mrs. Parker,” she said.

“Of course! And you are more than welcome to come over any time,” May replied.

Peter’s heartbeat was racing faster than before. He was glad that he didn’t have Karen analyzing his bodily functions at that moment.

Once they were in his room, Peter grabbed his biochemistry book out of his own book bag, along with his notebook. “Um, you can sit there on my bed, if you want,” he said, sitting down on his desk chair. “Or, I mean if you’d prefer to sit here, you can!” he said, suddenly jumping up. “I mean it doesn’t matter to me, wherever you want to sit that is.” He felt awkward just then standing in the center of his room, his notebook and book at his side.

MJ smirked. “I’ll sit on the bed, that’s fine.” She made her way over to his bunk bed and sat on the bottom bunk, pulling her backpack off and rummaging through it. “So what were you and Ned up to that you forgot about me?”

Peter sat down on the desk chair and opened up his notebook. “Um, oh, you know, just looking at some of the stuff I collected.”

“Collected?” she asked, looking up at him curiously.

“Yeah, like some old video cassette players, and this sick DOS machine,” Peter replied, gesturing toward the pile of old, broken tech that sat in the corner of his room. Before Tony gave him the suit, he was dumpster-diving regularly, but since really getting into his Spider-Man duties, he hadn’t done much. So the pile in his room just grew little by little.

“That’s cool. So what, you repurpose it or something?” she asked him.

“Um, yeah or pull parts off to make new stuff,” He replied, thinking back to his first set of web shooters he made. “So, which chapters are gonna be on this test again?”

MJ looked down at her own notebook. “Chapter 4 and 5,” she replied.

They took the next hour, quizzing each other about protein sequences and enzymes, May coming in once to give them some snacks and drinks to help ‘fuel their brains’ as she put it. Peter had ended up laying on his stomach on the floor near MJ’s legs, periodically resting his head on his book. MJ was laying on her back on his bed, balancing her book on her knees.

“Okay,” she announced, shutting her book. “We have been at this for an hour. I think it’s time for a break.”

Peter looked up at her, and she turned onto her side looking down at him. She blew a few curly tendrils off her face, and Peter admired her face; the way her lips puckered up as she blew, the way her dark brown eyes looked sideways at the piece of hair, half annoyed at its presence. “Okay, we can take a break,” he said, shutting his book as well. He got up on his knees and leaned against his bed. There was something so intimate about the way they were both facing each other, the way Michelle was laid out on his bed. He suddenly could feel the heat from their closeness, and it was exhilarating.

“I didn’t know you liked to build tech and stuff,” she said, gesturing again to his pile of used computers and electronics.

“Well, I haven’t been able to do much of it lately, you know Stark internship and all.”

“Yeah, you never explained what happened with that,” she said, resting her head against his pillow. “One minute you said you lost the internship, the next, you’re back on?”

“Oh,” Peter rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Yeah, I had, um, goofed up on a, um, assignment, for Mr. Stark, and I was kinda , um, suspended for a while, but, I, uh, had a talk with Mr. Stark and we worked it out.”

Michelle was looking at him as if she could see right into him. “Really? That so?” she turned over onto her back. “Okay, it’s no big deal, you don’t have to tell me the truth, if you don’t want to.”

Peter jumped up. “What?! It is the truth!” he looked at her helplessly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Peter, you’re horrible at lying, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Peter muttered. “But it really is the truth,” He said adamantly. It was partially the truth. He did mess up, and Tony did take his suit away, but then he gave it back after his Avengers test. He just left out all the parts about him being Spider-Man.

She shrugged. “Okay. So, then why did you decide to stick with Decathlon over everything else? I mean, Liz isn’t the captain anymore…. Or even here anymore.”

Peter crawled over her legs and positioned himself opposite of her, leaning his head against the foot of the bed, his feet stretched out by her head. “I like Decathlon,” he said simply, his eyes trying not to meet hers. “Plus, I owe you guys for royally messing up last year.”

She lightly punched his thigh. “Yeah, luckily for you, we had me,” she replied, giving him a mocking grin.

“Yeah, they were lucky to have you,” he said, no hint of sarcasm in his voice. He rested his hands by his side, his fingertips grazing hers. She didn’t pull away, but her fingers lightly moved against his. He could feel his breath hitched in his throat. “I’m glad you hang out with us more,” he said.

Michelle smiled, not ironically, but a real smile. “I like hanging out with you,” she said, and then quickly added, “And Ned’s okay too.” She pulled her hands away and started picking at her nails. “I just don’t like fake people, you know? When I was younger, my parents wanted me to go to a private school. And all the girls there were awful. All they cared about was what boys thought of them, and it made them very…. Competitive and backstabbing.” She glanced back up at him. “Then there were the rules, and the all-out prejudice, and … I was really happy when my parents told me I could go to Midtown starting my freshman year.”

Peter nudged her side with his foot. “Well, um, I’m glad they let you come. You’re the most honest person I know, and one of the smartest, definitely smarter than me,”

“Than I am,” she corrected him, making him blush. “Probably not, but thank you nevertheless.” She chuckled softly.

They spent the next hour talking; Michelle talking about her parents’ expectations, her own dreams. She asked Peter about his own, and he told her as much of the truth as he could, although he wanted to tell her more. They laughed about some of the teachers at school, complained about Flash and Harry. They hadn’t even realized how long it had been until there was a soft knock at the door, followed by Aunt May’s voice, “Michelle? Your dad is here to pick you up.”

Peter frowned, silently cursing her dad’s early arrival. He wanted her to stay; he wanted to touch her fingers again, he wanted… so much more than he had thought he had wanted. It felt overwhelming.

She sat up and gave him a smile. “This was fun, I have to admit,” she said.

Peter scooted out from under the bunk and stood up quickly. “Yeah, it was,” he said, holding out his hand to her. She regarded it for a moment, as if wondering what it would mean if she took his hand. Finally, she put her hand in his and he pulled her up. He pulled her up a little too forcefully though and she shot up, almost losing her balance, until Peter grabbed her upper arms to steady her. “Sorry!” he exclaimed. “I, uh, sometimes don’t know my own strength,” he added weakly.

“Yeah,” she exhaled, staring at him interestedly. Peter looked back at her, his eyes trying to memorize every inch of what she looked like standing there in his room. He wondered what would happen if he just leaned in, just a little bit, just an inch…

“There you are, Michelle, come on now,” a tall, slender man with a darker, more chocolate colored skin, wearing khakis and a button-down shirt, looking perfectly tailored for his body, opened the door to Peter’s room.

Peter instantly dropped his hands from her arms and whirled around to face her father. Peter suddenly realized where Michelle got her height from.

“Hey dad,” Michelle replied so casually that it made his already sharp look become more piercing. She gathered up her books and stuffed them in her backpack. “This is Peter,” she said.

Peter could feel the flush in his face. “Hi Mr. Jones, i...i…it’s nice to meet you,” he stammered, taking two steps toward him with his hand out.

Mr. Jones took his hand and gave it a hard shake. “Yes, Michelle has told me a lot about you. Quite a handshake you have, there Peter,” he commented. Peter glanced back at Michelle, wondering what she has told her parents about him. “Baby girl, we ready to go? Your mother should be home by now.”

“Yeah, dad, I’m ready,” she replied. She tucked one of her curls behind her ear. “I had fun tonight,” she said to Peter.

“Yeah, me too,” Peter replied, half-smiling. He could feel Mr. Jones’ glare still upon him. Michelle walked over to him and gave him a hug. Peter hugged her back, still conscious of their audience, although he couldn’t help the thoughts of burying his face into her neck to take in the scent of her body spray.

“I hope you didn’t have too much fun, it was just studying after all,” Mr. Jones commented.

Michele broke the hug. “And there you go making it awkward, dad,” she said turned away from Peter and stalking over to him.

“Would I be your father if I didn’t?” he replied, kissing the top of her head. He looked back at Peter and gave him a quick nod. “It was nice meeting you Peter.”

“Y..yeah, nice meeting you too!” Peter called out after them as they exited the room. Peter followed them out to the living room, where Aunt May and Mr. Jones exchanged a few pleasantries.

“So nice to meet you Michael, and you as well Michelle. If you ever want to come over and chat more, I’d love it, and I’m sure Peter wouldn’t mind would you, bud?” May said, looking over at his horrified face. Peter just shook his head.

“I would love that May, thank you,” she replied. “Bye Peter.”

“Bye,” he said, his voice seemingly hollow and far from his body.

Michelle and her dad left the apartment, and May said, “Now she is a very smart girl, and very pretty too,” giving Peter a wink. “You two just friends, or hooking up, or whatever you kids do these days?”

“Ugh, May,” Peter groaned, embarrassment flooding his entire body.

He sulked back to his room, his fingers still numb from her touch, his body still tingling from being so close to her. He shut the door to his room and flung himself on his bed.

“Text message from Tony Stark,” Karen announced from Peter’s computer.

“Thanks Karen,” Peter sighed, picking up his phone off the desk.

“How did your study date with Michelle go?” Karen asked, as Peter unlocked his phone and clicked on the message icon.

“It went…. All right,” Peter sighed, reading his text message.

_Just checking in Kid._

_Heading to China for a few weeks on Avengers business._

_Don’t screw up while I’m gone._

_Love ya!_

Peter fell back onto his bed. Not only did he now have to find out who the Goblin is, and figure out these feelings for MJ, but now Tony would be gone for a while. He could feel that overwhelming feeling creeping up on him again. “Karen?” he called out.

“Yes, Peter, what can I do for you?”

“Can you run some information on the following address?”


	7. Motivations, Motivations, Motivations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, I don't know why this particular chapter was hard for me to finish, but here it is! any feedback is appreciated as it always makes me a better writer! 
> 
> I am excited about where this is headed and I hope you all are too!

* * *

 

“I’m glad we have been able to do this again. Perhaps this time, you might keep your cool.”

Harry looked up from his dinner at his father, who was leaning back in his mahogany high-backed chair, observing his son with a superior air.  He wanted to retort that it wasn’t him that had lost his cool, but he thought better of it. After the incident, a couple of weeks ago, Norman had retreated to his office, only to return and ask Harry to resume their father/son dinners. Harry was hoping he’d just forget about them since their last one turned into an argument that left poor Chhavi to clean up all the brand-new china and replace it. “Of course, _father_ ,” he said, the last word dripping with disdain. Norman didn’t seem to notice Harry’s tone though.

“So how’s school going now for you? Do you still think that you’re too stupid to go there?”

Harry shrugged. “There are a few kids who are probably there the same as me, so it’s not as terrible as I thought. But there are definitely some freakishly smart kids there.”

“Just keep plugging away, Harry, and I promise, all of it will click soon.” He started to cut into his own steak. “So tell me about some of your classmates. I know all about Flash of course. His father called me the other day, so happy that the two of you became friends. Mr. Thompson is an opportunistic man if I ever met one.” Harry grunted. “But anyone else? I’m sure you’ve made a few other friends.”

“No Dad, a few of Flash’s friends, but these kids are all into like their futures or whatever. They don’t want to hang  out and stuff. There’s this kid named Peter, for example, who already has an internship with Tony Stark. He’s 16 years old, like seriously?!  That’s the kind of thing you do in college. Flash thinks he’s lying, but I don’t know,”

“An internship with Tony Stark?” Norman interrupted.

“Yeah,” Harry cringed. “Sorry, dad, shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Does he often talk about his internship?”

Harry shook his head. “No, I mean, at least not to me. He doesn’t brag about it to other people, if that’s what you mean. I’m sure his two weirdo friends know a lot about it. He’s weird though. Flash said last year when he got the internship, he dropped like every after-school activity he was in, and pretended to know Spider-Man to impress some girl.”

“Spider-Man?” Norman’s face seemed to light up at the mention of the web-slinging hero. “So Spider-Man does work for Stark then?”

Harry shrugged. “Like I said, I dunno, dad. Peter and I don’t really talk to each other. He’s not super popular.”

“Interesting, doesn’t seem like the type of kid that Stark would want for an internship,” Norman commented. “and he’s never mentioned knowing Spider-Man to you before?”

“Jeez, dad, how many more ways can I say that Peter and I aren’t friends? He and Flash don’t get along, so he and I don’t get along. Simple as that. I doubt he’s like in Stark’s inner circle. He’s just a kid like me.”

Norman was tapping his fork against his plate, lost in thought. "Harry, I have a proposition for you.”

Harry sighed. He should have faked some type of school commitment to get out of dinner. He should have known it would go south.

“You should befriend this Peter Parker,” Norman continued.

“What!? Dad, Flash will stop talking to me if,” Norman held up a hand for him to stop speaking.

“You should befriend this boy and try to learn as much as you can about what he does for Tony Stark, and more importantly what he knows about that Spider-Man. If you do, I’ll give you what you want.”

“You don’t know even know what I want. And why do you want to find out about that Spider guy?”

“Don’t worry about why I want the information. But if you do this for me, I’ll stop pestering you about taking over the company.”

Harry stared at his father in disbelief. _Has he gone crazy?_ Harry thought. _What is he going to do with whatever information I can even get, if I can even get it?_ “You’re kidding,” Harry said.

Norman shook his short head of salt-n-pepper hair. “No, son, I’m deadly serious. In fact, I’ll give you your trust fund early so you can do with it what you want. Explore the world, fuck as many girls as you can, drink yourself into an oblivion. Just get whatever information you can out of this boy.”

Harry’s mind ran wild with thoughts of finally being free from his father’s rule. After 16 years it seemed too go to be true. Particularly because he seemed to be asking for so little. “So you want me to become friends with Peter Parker so I can get Stark secrets, and you’ll give me my freedom from all of this,” he gestured around the room.

Norman pinched his temples with his thumb and ring finger, closing his eyes. “Yes, Harry, I’m glad we are on the same page finally. And Spider-Man. That is most important. Certainly, this Peter Parker must know who the masked menace is.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I highly doubt it, I can’t imagine someone like Spider-Man would just give up his identity to some stupid intern.”

Norman slammed his fist down on the table hard, cracking the wood. Harry stared at the crack, shocked. He had never known his father to be a particularly strong man, but this was the second time he had shown some type of extraordinary strength. “Dammit, Harry. I’m giving you an out. I’m giving you what you want. Just give me this in return. Is it so hard to be nice to this boy?”

Harry blinked a few times still in shock. “N…n..n.. no I can do it,” he said, shirking away from his father.

Norman’s twisted face smoothed out into a smile. “Wonderful. I know it may take a little bit of time, but if this Peter Parker knows anything, he will give it up in time, once you’ve gained his trust.” He patted Harry’s balled up fist, which Harry hadn’t realized was balled up, ready to hit if necessary. He slowly relaxed it and gave his father an uneasy smile.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter waited for Ned by his locker Monday morning. He had been thinking a lot about Friday night; the strange nagging feeling was growing in him, and he found himself thinking about Michelle all weekend, unable to concentrate on more pressing issues such as the mad man in a Halloween costume and the criminals too scared to stand up to him. Ned was ambling toward his locker, a peaceful, yet energetic look on his face. He looked like a boy not plagued with dreams of girls who got under his skin, of villains trying to kill him. Peter wondered if he would ever have that look again.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Ned said as he went in for their signature handshake. “Sorry I had to bail on you Friday night, but you gotta tell me how the interrogation went! Did you find the guy’s hideout? His evil lair?” Ned’s eyes were bright with anticipation.

“Yeah, yeah I got the information. I didn’t go to his hideout though. I was a little distracted this weekend.” Peter was wringing out his hands. “That’s actually why I’m here. I kinda need to talk to you about something.”

Ned’s face scrunched up with worry. “What’s up,? You’re acting weird again. Is it the Goblin? Wait, why would you need to talk to me about him? Are you asking _me_ for advice about your archnemesis? Because Peter, that’s a real honor, man, a real,”

“Ned!” Peter said frustrated. “Sorry, no. It’s not about the _Spider-Man_ stuff,” he said in a low voice. “Okay, I think… I think that I like MJ.”

Ned looked at him with a blank expression. “What?”

Peter was waiting for him to say something more, but when he didn’t, Peter decided to continue. “Okay, look so I’ve been having these _feelings_ , right? And you know how weird I’ve been around her, and well Friday night after you left she came over because I totally spaced and forgot we had a study thing. And she was on my bed, and we were on my bed, and,”

“Oh my God, Peter did you and MJ,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “ _have sex?_ ”

Peter’s eyes widened. “NO! No, no no no, no we definitely did not do… that. We were just sitting there, talking and these, ugh, _feelings_ , they just kept coming you know? And there was a moment and I just knew, I knew I liked her.”

Ned leaned against the lockers. “You like Michelle? You like the captain of our decathlon team? Peter do you realize this is kind of sounding like déjà vu?”

Peter shook his head. “No, no, it’s not. It’s… different. I mean I liked Liz a lot, but this, this just happened you know? Because it’s MJ, and she’s our friend, and she’s nothing like Liz. I mean, no she’s smart and really pretty, but,”

“Let me stop you there,” Ned said holding out a hand. “You realize you can’t date Michelle, right?”

Now it was Peter’s turn to look confused. “Um, why?”

Ned groaned. “Because you two were friends first. And if you date her and then you mess it up, you can’t go back to being friends. Things won’t be the same, and then everything will be weird, and all of a sudden I have to pick sides.” Peter raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you know I’d pick yours,” Ned added quickly. “But look what happens if you do break up? You think Michelle would take it lightly? I mean do you really want to be at the end of that?”

Peter thought about all the confrontations Michelle had been in before. No one ever had the balls to cross her, and he knew Ned had some valid points. However, it still didn’t allay the nagging feeling in his chest. “I don’t know Ned, what if nothing bad happens? What if MJ and I, I don’t know, actually work out? Then I get to have one of my best friends as my girlfriend, and we can all move on with life. I mean, assuming MJ actually likes me. Which I have no idea if she does.”

“She’s a lot nicer to you than she is to me, that’s gotta count for something,” Ned replied. Peter smiled. ‘Look. Before you turn into Romeo and profess your love to her, why don’t you try to see what else is out there first.” Ned’s eyes brightened again. “I know! Why don’t we go on a double date?”

“A double date?” Peter parroted.

“Yeah! I mean, you know I like Betty, and I’m too nervous to take her out all by myself, so let’s do a double date.”

“And you do you want me to ask out?” Peter said warily.

“Cindy from Decathlon! She’s pretty, and nice, and I know for a fact she has a crush on you,” Ned said with a wide grin.

Cindy Moon was a nice girl, quiet, and always blushing whenever Peter looked her way. He thought it was because she was shy. “She does?” Peter paused. “I don’t know Ned,” Peter said cautiously. “I mean, if it doesn’t work out, I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You don’t know that it won’t!” Ned exclaimed. “Look, Cindy and Betty are best friends. It’ll be way easier for me to get Betty to go on a date if you ask Cindy.”

Peter really would have rather talked to Michelle about his feelings for her, but he knew he also wanted to support Ned, who always had a harder time talking to girls. “Okay, I’ll do it for you,” Peter said.

“And to help you get over your crush on Michelle,” Ned added.

Peter wasn’t sure going on a date with Cindy would cure him of his feelings for Michelle, but he didn’t want to tell Ned that. “Okay, sure that too.”

“Awesome!” Ned went in for their secret handshake. “Okay, let’s ask them after school. I’m going to get to class.”

“Yeah, all right, I’m right behind you,” Peter replied, lingering by his locker a bit longer. He looked down at his feet, wondering if he made the right decision, agreeing to Ned’s plan. When he finally shut his locker, he came face to face with Harry Osborn.

“Hi Peter,” Harry said, a strange smile on his face. Peter stared at him, shocked that he was talking to him.

“Um, hi, Harry,” Peter replied, shrugging his backpack onto his shoulders. “Going to class?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, I’ll walk with you.”

Peter turned and started walking toward homeroom, his eyes wide with wonder. “So, what’s up?” He finally asked.

Harry seemed to hesitate before saying, “Look, I’m really sorry I’ve been a jerk to you since I’ve gotten here. I really shouldn’t be. You seem pretty cool, and I know Flash can be kind of a dick sometimes.”

Peter slowed his step and turned his head to look at Harry. “Uh, thanks. That’s pretty cool of you to say. So you’re not pissed off that I’m interning for Stark then?”

Harry let out a forced laugh. “What? No, no way. I get it. I would jump at the chance to work around the Avengers.”

“Yeah, well I don’t see much of them honestly,” he replied, not entirely lying. He actually hadn’t seen them in a long time so it wasn’t a total lie.

“Well that’s a bummer,” Harry replied. He then grabbed the sleeve of Peter’s sweatshirt. “So, what’d you say? Want to try and be friends?”

Peter turned to observe him. “Um, sure, yeah, we can be friends.”

Harry patted his shoulder. “Awesome! I’ll see ya around then Parker!” He gave Peter a high five and then sprinted off to his own homeroom.

“What the hell?” Peter mumbled.

“Mr. Parker, will you be joining us?”

He looked over and saw Mrs. Ramirez standing by the door to her room, waiting for stragglers.

“Yeah, sorry, I mean, _lo siento_ _Senora Ramirez_.”

“ _Esta bien,_ ” she replied, ushering him into her homeroom.

As Peter went to take his seat, he caught Ned’s eye, who was giving him a thumbs-up. He then looked toward his seat, and saw Michelle sitting there behind it, head down, doodling away. She looked up as he came closer, her hazelnut eyes sparkling as they saw him. “Hey Nerd,” she said, in an affectionate way that made Peter’s heart skip. Peter smiled at her and quickly took his seat.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter was glad when lunch arrived. He felt distracted in his morning classes, and needed some time to think. As he sat down at his and Ned’s usual table, he realized that he wouldn’t get a chance to do much thinking.

“Okay, so here’s the plan,” Ned said to him as soon as he sat down. “Betty and Cindy usually hang out at their lockers right at the end of the day; so all we have to do it meet up with them there, and ask them.”

Peter watched Michelle make her way over to their table. “Yeah, yeah, all right,” Peter replied quickly, not wanting Michelle to hear their conversation. _Why though? You don’t even know if Michelle likes you. She could probably care less who you dated_ , he thought.

“How’d you do in biochem?” she asked him as soon as she sat down.

Peter smiled. “Well, I think I remembered most of the material on enzymes, so that’s gotta count for something right?” She grinned and then pushed her tray away to put her sketch book down.

“I made this for you,” she said, ripping a page out. It was a drawing of her holding up a large note card at a confused looking cartoon version of him. “To remind you of our study session.”

Peter took the picture, admiring how accurate her eye and hand were at capturing him. “Hey thanks, but why do I look confused?” She just laughed and grabbed her apple off her tray. Peter caught Ned’s eye and he looked less than happy about the exchange. Peter quickly stuff the picture into his backpack.

“Hey Peter!”

The three of them looked up at the voice startled. Startled because of its friendly tone, usually not the adjective they would use to describe his tone under normal circumstances.

Harry was nearly prancing up to them carrying a blue insulated lunch box and his book bag. His blond hair seemed to bounce slightly with his movements.

Peter could feel Michelle and Ned’s faces staring at him. “Uh, Peter, what is Harry Osborn doing coming over here?” Ned said in a low voice.

“Shh,” Peter replied as Harry approached their table. “Hey Harry, what’s up?”

Harry smiled at him. “Can I eat lunch with you guys today?”

Michelle, who was sitting across from Peter was giving Peter a look; a look that said, ‘No way.’ But Peter didn’t have the heart to tell Harry no. “Um, sure you can,” Peter replied, giving Michelle a look of defeat back. She rolled her eyes, took a bite of her apple, and went back to her picture.

Harry sat down next to Michelle and pulled his sandwich out. It looked perfectly crafted and wrapped like he had just purchased it at a Starbucks.

“Wow, that’s something else,” Ned commented, looking at it hungrily.

Harry looked up at him. “Oh, do you want it? Chhavi used to work at a deli somewhere around here before she came to work for my dad. She’s a great cook.” Ned shook his head and muttered, ‘no thanks.’

Michelle looked back up at Peter. Her eyes were saying more than what she actually said. “You have a cook?”

Harry nodded and took a bite. “We have a butler too, Andrew.”

“Harry what the hell are you doing?” Flash came storming up to their table, looking pretty peeved.

Harry gave him a congenial smile. “Hey Flash, I just thought I’d sit with Peter and his friends today.”

Flash looked scandalized. “Wha…what?”

“Hey it’s cool. I’ll see you later,” Harry said giving Flash a small wave before returning to his sandwich.

Flash looked at him speechless. He caught Peter’s eye and Peter gave him a tight smile. “Whatever,” Flash muttered, stomping off.

The table was quiet for a few moments before Michelle finally decided to break the silence. “Okay, what’s up? Is this some weird prank or something?” she turned to look at Harry. He looked back at her blankly. “You hate Peter, and I’m pretty sure you don’t even know our names. Are you and Flash trying to mess with Peter? If you are, trust me when I say you will regret it.”

Ned nudged Peter, who was watching the exchange between Michelle and Harry with increased interest.

“No!” Harry exclaimed quickly. “I… I’m trying to make amends. I feel bad, didn’t you tell them that?”

“Uh, I didn’t have a chance to actually,” Peter said, letting out a strange chuckle. Again, his two best friends were staring at him with equal amounts of confusion and frustration. ‘Sorry’ he mouthed. “He’s cool, guys, promise,” Peter said, although he wasn’t quite confident yet that it was a promise he could keep. They ate in silence a few more minutes, neither knowing what to say in front of the other. Peter could feel the tension in the air, so thick it was starting to choke him. He finally decided to say something, anything to get them all talking. “So, uh, Harry, do you like Midtown so far?”

Harry swallowed his piece of sandwich and shrugged. “It’s all right. At least the rules aren’t as strict as they are at my last couple of schools. Except everyone here is a lot smarter than I am.”

“Well, it is a magnet school with really strict requirements to get in.  Didn’t you take the entrance exam?” Michelle asked him.

Harry looked down at his plate. “Why take an entrance exam when your dad coughs up a million bucks to pay for a new biology lab?”

“We’re getting a new bio lab!?” Ned said excitedly.

“Yeah, I don’t think they have announced it yet though,” Harry replied.

“So is that how you get into all your schools? Daddy pays your way in?” Michelle asked. Her tone made Peter wince.

“Well that’s about all he’s good for,” Harry retorted. “I know what you guys are thinking. I’m so lucky to just get these privileges handed to me, but if you knew my dad…” he trailed off. Peter could see that same sulkiness he had seen before start to come out. “My dad thought it might be good for me to go here anyway. He thought your guys’ genius might rub off on me.” He grunted and then looked at Peter. “Your dad must be proud of you. I mean, aren’t you in the top of the class? And you’re like the youngest person to get an internship with Tony Stark.”  

Peter cleared his throat. “Um,”

“Peter’s parents are dead,” Michelle said plainly. She looked rather annoyed at Harry’s unaware insensitivity.

“Thanks, MJ… for that,” Peter said awkwardly. Harry looked at him in horrified embarrassment. “Yeah, my, parents got in a car accident when I was eight, I’ve been living with my Aunt May ever since,” he explained.

“Dude, I am so sorry,” Harry responded. “I didn’t know. Man, that’s, I’m sorry, I understand. My mom died with I was little. She had some type of cancer or something. Andrew says that’s why my dad got into biomedical engineering.”

Michelle snorted at his comment. “Yeah right,” she muttered.

Harry started to respond, but Peter cut him off, “So Harry, if you aren’t into science and everything, what are you into?”

Harry seemed to forget about Michelle’s comment. “I love traveling. Some of my favorite memories are trips that Andrew has taken me on.”

“Your butler?” Ned asked.

“Yeah, well, my dad was always too busy, trying to beat Tony Stark, so Andrew took me on a lot of trips when I was younger.” He glanced at Peter as if he was expecting a reaction from him. Peter just nodded as if agreeing with him. Harry, looking disappointed he didn’t get more of a reaction out of Peter continued. “But that was before my dad wanted me to get serious about school. See, I want to explore the world. I want to get as far away from my dad’s office as I can. I don’t need a bunch of schooling to do that.”

“And that’s why you keep getting kicked out of them,” Michelle commented.

“MJ,” Peter said through gritted teeth. She held up her hands as if to say, ‘what?’

Harry didn’t seem too offended by her comment. “Yeah, well if you had to be cooped up at expensive boarding schools, you’d want to let loose too.” He looked back at Peter finally. “So, how did you manage to get that internship anyway? I mean, do you have a relative or something working for him?”

Peter started playing with the food on his plate. “Um, no, I, uh, just applied, and got selected.” He could feel not only Harry’s eyes upon him, but Michelle’s as well. His internship was something the two of them never discussed. Mostly because Peter knew that once he started, she’d immediately call him on his lie; just like she did the other night. “I just got lucky, I guess.”

Harry kept his eyes on him, a smile seemingly stuck on his face. “Wow, that is lucky. I know some guys in college who have been rejected by Stark, and they have like PhDs and invented crazy stuff. So what do you get to do when you go there anyway?”

Peter pressed his lips firmly together. “Um, I’m not really supposed to talk about it,” he answered. Harry’s smile immediately fell.

“Oh, I see well, that makes sense. Tony Stark does love his secrets. So you said you never really get to see the Avengers, but what about that other guy, Spider-Man, have you ever gotten to meet him?”  He leaned forward. “Come on, you can tell me. I’m just dying to know if the guy is as awesome as everyone says he is.”

Peter leaned back a little, glancing at Michelle. She was trying to look less than interested as she had returned to her drawing, but her head was slightly tilted to the side, to not miss Peter’s response. “Yeah, yeah, of course he is. He’s pretty cool,” Peter replied. “I mean, I haven’t really talked to him much, he’s out there defending the city every night.”

“So you don’t know who he is? Haven’t even seen his face?” Harry continued, an edge to his voice.

“Sure, yeah, I’ve seen his face, he’s not severely disfigured or anything, but I don’t know who he is,” Peter lied.

Harry seemed at a loss, disappointed. Peter glanced at Ned who had been shaking the whole table with his leg, a nervous twitch that threatened to give Peter away. He nudged Ned’s knee with his own, and Ned stopped. “Well, it’s still cool I guess.” Harry looked down at his lunch, suddenly quiet.

The bell rang shortly after, and Harry was the first to get up. “Well, I guess I’ll see you guys around,” he said, not even masking the disappointment in his voice. He barely looked at them as he stalked away.

The three of them stood up and took their trays over to the garbage can near the cafeteria exit. “Well that was weird,” Ned said as they went off to their next class.

“Yeahhh,” Peter said slowly.

“Kind of strange, isn’t it?” Michelle noted.

“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“Well clearly, he wants something from you, and he should know by now, you do not give up your secrets easily,” Michelle replied, casting a long glance at him. “Why else would he suddenly want to become your friend, and ask you all those questions about your internship with Tony Stark?”

“So he really doesn’t want to be my friend?” Peter asked sarcastically.

“As cool as we think you are, I wouldn’t bet my money on it,” Michelle replied. She placed a hand on his shoulder and turned to face him. She was smiling at him, and Peter could feel his mind going blank, the blood vessels in his body seemingly expanding, building pressure all throughout his body. It planted him to the floor. “Don’t forget, Decathlon practice is in the library today, okay?” she said to him. Peter couldn’t find the words to respond. He just stared at her blankly. _Say something, you idiot!_ He thought. _It’s MJ! Just MJ. You guys are friends. You hung out in your room together!_ Images of her fingers grazing his leapt to his mind, making it harder to speak. She glanced over his shoulder at Ned and then back at him. “Right, okay, I’ll see you guys later.”

Peter was acutely aware of when she took her hand off his shoulder; the spot where it was still containing the softest outline of her hand. He then felt a much larger, heavier hand slap his other shoulder. “Dude,” Ned said, waking him from his trance.

Peter groaned. “What the hell is wrong with me?” He leaned his back against the nearest wall. “She touches me and I go all catatonic. It wasn’t like this Friday night.” The feeling of her arms wrapping around his neck. The smell of her body spray lingering in his mind. But then suddenly, thoughts of the Goblin, thoughts of Harry’s sudden olive branch and his direct line of questioning at lunch entered his mind, and Peter realized that maybe, just maybe, being with MJ wouldn’t be a good idea. Maybe it was a distraction that he didn’t need right now. The warning bell rang, signaling students that they had one minute to get to class before they were late. “Okay, yeah, after school, I’ll ask out Cindy, and we will go on that double date,” Peter said, as the two boys started hurrying to their next class.

“Yes! Awesome!” Ned exclaimed pumping his fist in the air.


	8. Trials and Tribulations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter up finally! enjoy!

“It wasn’t that bad,” Ned said, his voice crackling in from Peter’s Bluetooth speaker in his suit. Peter was sitting on top of a tall bank building down the street from a local bar that was slowly becoming more and more crowded as the night went on. The longer Peter was Spider-Man, the better he was at predicting where any criminal activity, particularly in the evening may occur; and one combination that always seemed be a perfect storm for criminal activity lay somewhere between a bank and a bar.

“No, Ned, it was that bad,” Peter argued. “I was so stupid, why did I have to do it in front of her?”

“Well, Flash didn’t make the situation any easier,” Ned added.

Peter looked down at his web shooters as he scrolled through the virtual screen of web shooter combos. “No, he didn’t. And now I feel like I really messed up.”

“Peter, it’s MJ. She will get over it. Just like you will. It’s going to be okay.”

Peter selected his ‘web balls’ combo and started shooting balls of webbing into the air, trying to hit a blue metal dumpster below, while kicking his feet against the side of the building. “Yeah, I don’t know about that,” Peter said begrudgingly. He usually liked to do his patrols by himself, but after the incident after school, he had to talk to Ned. Ned didn’t mind of course – he loved being part of Peter’s ‘second life.’ However, the more he and Ned talked about it, the worse Peter felt.

_Principal Morita’s end of the day announcements ended, and the bell rang, which made Peter’s stomach ball up nervously. He wanted to just leave the school now, jump in his Spider-Man suit and forget about his and Ned’s plan to ask out Betty and Cindy. However, Ned was in his last class, so he couldn’t run from him – well, he could, but not without making his best friend stop talking to him for a while. So, Peter took a deep breath and walked with Ned to Betty’s locker, where Betty and Cindy usually hung out before Betty ran off to her creative writing club and Cindy headed to Decathlon practice._

_Except, Cindy wasn’t there. Betty was standing by her locker, putting away her day’s books. Peter put his arm across Ned’s chest, stopping him. “Cindy isn’t there,” Peter said under his breath._

_Ned looked alarm. “Okay, so new plan. Come over with me to ask out Betty, and then when we see Cindy at Decathlon practice, you can ask her!”_

_Peter pinched his lips together. “Ned, that’s not a good idea.”_

_“Too late! That’s the only idea I can come up with!” Ned grabbed Peter’s arm and dragged him over to Betty’s locker. “Hey Betty!” Ned said, his voice nearly an octave higher than normal. Peter glimpsed at him, his eyebrow raised, and back at Betty who had turned around, her long, blonde locks swinging around her. She pushed a stray strand out of her eyes and looked at both Ned and Peter curiously._

_“Hi Ned, Peter,” she said slowly, looking confused as to why they were approaching him. Peter looked at Ned expectedly. He could see the sudden terrified look in Ned’s eyes, his round cheeks turning white. He looked like someone who was shocked to see Medusa and turned to stone. Peter wondered if that was what he looked like when MJ looked at him._

_“Uh, hey Betty, how’s it going?” Peter asked, nudging Ned. Ned didn’t move._

_“Good, about to go to creative writing club. Aren’t you guys supposed to be at Decathlon? I hear MJ is even more of a work horse than Liz was,” Betty joked._

_“Uh, yeah, we are supposed to be there,” Peter said through his teeth, slipping his hand behind Ned and pinching the loose skin on his upper arm._

_Ned yelped in surprise, eliciting an equally surprised reaction in Betty. Ned looked at Peter who nodded toward Betty. “Uh, so Betty, I was wondering, if, um…m...m you might want to, uh, go on a double date with me and uh, Peter and Cindy n…n…next Friday?” It was painfully slow, and Peter felt even more strained after Ned finally got it all out. Peter watched Betty’s face, praying that she wouldn’t laugh at Ned or say something mean._

_Betty just blinked in disbelief. “Oh!” she said, and then went silent again. Peter wondered how long it would be before anyone would ever speak again, and then she said, “Uh, sure that sounds fun actually. I’d love to.”_

_It was all Peter could do from jumping for joy for his best friend. He saw Ned’s lips open up in a wide smile. “Yeah? That’s great!” Ned exclaimed. “Uh, okay, um Peter and I will let you know the place and time then.”_

_Peter nodded to back up Ned’s statement. “Sure, great, just hit me up on Snapchat then and let me know.” She gave them both a smile. “Well, I really should get to my club – “_

_“Yeah, no of course, us too,” Ned replied. They watched her go and Ned grabbed Peter’s arm. “Oh my God, she said yes. Holy shit, she said yes!”_

_“Yeah Ned, I know, I was there,” Peter said with a smile. “Let’s hope it’s just as easy with Cindy.”_

_“It will be, but we should probably get to the library now so you can ask her before practice starts.”_

_They rushed down the hall toward the library, and when Ned swung the door open, they nearly crashed into MJ. “Whoa there Usain Bolt,” she said, jumping out of the way. “You guys still have a few minutes before practice starts, I have to go have a talk with Mrs. Sawyer about some space issues. If those chess kids think they can just invade in on space_ I _signed up for weeks ago, they have another thing coming.” She caught Peter’s eye and left corner of her mouth turned up into a smile. “I’ll be right back.” She walked over to their librarian’s desk and started talking animatedly._

_Peter watched her, his heart tugging at his stomach. He felt Ned’s two hands grab his shoulders._

_“There she is!” Ned whispered, gesturing over at Cindy who was leaning against a book shelf talking to Sally. Ned pushed Peter toward her. “Go ask her quick!”_

_Peter glanced back at Ned who was nodding encouragingly, and then back at Cindy. He approached her slowly, his eyes darting around the room. He thought, at first, that he was nervous to ask her out, but then he realized, he may have been more nervous asking her out around a certain person._ Let’s just get this over with _, he thought. “Hey Cindy, um, can I talk to you for a second?” He said as he approached them._

_Sally and Cindy exchanged meaningful glances and Sally shrugged. “I’ll talk to you about it later, Cin,” she replied._

_Cindy followed Peter off to the side, a little bit away from where the rest of the group had started to conjure. “What’s going on Peter?”_

_“So, I wanted to know if you might want to go on a date – with me?” he asked. Cindy looked as pale as Ned looked earlier. Over her shoulder, Sally was standing just a bit away, giggling softly._ Shit, _he thought,_ Ned was wrong, she doesn’t like me _. “Um, it’s a double date actually, with Ned and Betty? Betty already said yes?”_

_“What?” Cindy broke from her spell of shock. Then she broke into a small smile. “I would actually love to go on a date with you,” she said softly, biting her lip. Peter breathed a sigh of relief._

_“Okay, awesome. Um, I think it’s next Friday? I’m not too sure about all the details, so I’ll uh, text you?”_

_“Yeah, that’d be great,” she said her smile growing. She then leaned in quickly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Peter could feel his face get hot from embarrassment. “Thanks for asking me,” she said before turning around and scurrying over to Sally. They leaned their heads in and started talking quickly and quietly. Peter turned around to give Ned a thumbs-up, and stopped short._

_MJ was staring at him, her eyes unblinking, her cheeks flushing pink. Peter’s mouth dropped open. “Uh, MJ,” he started, moving toward her. Although her face remained quite still, he could see the confusion and anger in her eyes._ Oh no, what did she hear? _Peter thought worriedly. He suddenly felt as if he had made a huge mistake, one he may not be able to fix. When she realized he had closed the distance between them, she narrowed her eyes and pushed past him, nearly knocking him over._

_“Okay guys,” she said, her tone sharp, “chess guys are gone, let’s get practicing. Mr. Harrison can’t make it today, so you just got me.”_

_The rest of the team assembled around her, and Peter quickly followed suit. He felt Ned coming up beside him. “So?” He asked anxiously._

_Peter gave him a thumbs-up and Ned silently cheered. “Only problem,” Peter whispered, “Is I think, and I’m not too sure, but I think MJ heard me ask out Cindy.”_

_Ned looked at him, clueless. “So?”_

_“Hey Losers!” MJ said loudly, making them both jump. “Talk about your social lives later, we have practice now.” She was glaring at Peter, her stare so intense that Peter felt it could cut right through him._

_“Wow, what’s her deal?” Ned asked him. Peter gave him a ‘Are You Serious?’ look, but Ned just shrugged and joined the group._

_Practice was rough. MJ would barely acknowledge Peter, even going so far as to ignore him when he would answer a question. Peter resigned himself to resting his head on the table and just waiting and hoping the practice would end. He would find MJ glance at him every so often, and when he met her eye, her cheeks went pink again and her eyes scrunched up angrily._

_When practice did finally end, it was Peter could do to get out of that library as fast as possible._

_“Hey, Peter!” Cindy bounced up to him, her arm wrapping around his bicep and squeezing it. Peter was taken back by her sudden excitement and comfortability around him. “I just wanted you to know that I am really excited about our double date next week,” she gushed. “It’s going to be so much fun!”_

_“Uh, yeah, Cindy, it will be,” he said warily._

_“Hey Michelle, I think you forgot something!”_

_Peter turned around to see Flash holding up Michelle’s sketchpad. She was already half way to the exit, when she spun around on the spot. “Give that to me, Flash,” she said, stalking toward him, her stare fixated on him._

_Flash was grinning and started thumbing through the pages. “Wow there are a lot of drawings in here,” he said loudly, making the other Decathlon members pause. Peter started toward them, but stopped, unsure if Michelle would even accept his help. Flash jumped around the table avoiding Michelle’s reach. “Oh, come on, you don’t want to share your artwork? What do you have to hide?”_

_“Flash, if you don’t give that back to me now, you will regret it. And I have seen every episode of Dexter, so I know how to hide bodies,” she said through gritted teeth, racing around the table trying to grab her book from his hands._

_“Hey Flash, give it back to her,” Peter called out, and Michelle shot him a look, as if to say, ‘stay out of it.’_

_Flash’s grin was getting wider. “Wow, Michelle, there’s sure a lot of pictures of Parker in here. Hey Peter, I think someone has a crush on you!”_

_Peter felt his heart jumping into his throat. Michelle stopped short, her eyes not meeting his. “Shut up Flash, and give me that,” she said, climbing over the table to get it from him._

_“Wow, such attention to detail on this one!” Flash exclaimed, opening the page and trying to show it to everyone. “You sure like to look at Parker a lot huh? You got him nailed down pa… ow!” He winced and let go of the book, letting it drop to the floor. Michelle had gotten a hold of the skin on his free arm and had twisted it hard. Flash held his injured arm with his good arm, and Michelle scooped up her book. “I knew you had a thing for Parker,” Flash said, his eyes narrowing toward her. “That’s why you won’t go out with me.”_

_“No, Flash, I won’t go out with you because you’re a dick. I already told you that.” She stuffed her sketchpad into her back pack and then looked up, mortified that the entire team was watching. Her eyes finally settled on Peter, who was at a loss for words. He felt as if he couldn’t move from the spot on which he stood, sticking to the floor like he could stick to the sides of buildings and on ceilings. She then looked past him, her lips set in a thin line. “Don’t you guys have better stuff to do? Get out of here,” she growled, storming past all of them, her eyes avoiding Peter’s._

Peter stood up and stretched out. “Look, just make the plans for the date, and let me know okay?” He didn’t want to think about MJ or Cindy anymore, he wanted to focus on his Spidey duties and forget about being a teenager for a while. He was watching a few guys who were leaving the bar, pushing each other around. They were rosy from the large amounts of alcohol they had consumed, spots of sweat soaking through the pits of their checkered Oxford shirts.

“Yep, I’ll come up with something spectacular, you just wait,” Ned said.

“Yeah,” Peter said, getting distracted by the guys as they started following a petite woman wearing a pencil skirt and sweater who had exited the bar several seconds after them.

“Uh oh, you sound like you might have found someone to rescue,” Ned said, sensing Peter’s sudden interest in something other than their conversation.

“Um, yeah, Ned, I gotta go,” Peter said.

“All right man, go kick some ass!” Ned hung up, leaving Peter to his night-time activities.

Peter jumped from the roof of the bank, to the next roof over, staying low to not attract attention. “Hey Karen,” Peter whispered.

“Yes, Peter,” came his AI’s voice.

“Can you do enhanced reconnaissance mode?” he asked, as he crawled closer.

“Starting enhanced reconnaissance mode.”

“That’s the girl?”

“Yeah, that’s the bitch who turned me down.”

“Hey! Hey you! Think you’re too good for my buddy here?”

“Karen, can you call an Uber and send them to this location?” Peter whispered, climbing over the side of the building and slowly climbing down the side of it. As he got closer, he could hear their confrontation clearer.

The woman had her phone in her hand and was threatening to call the police if they didn’t leave her alone. The three men were laughing and as one made a grab for her phone, Peter flung himself from the side of the building, flipping in the air and landing in a crouch between the three drunk men and the nervous woman.

“Hey guys!” He said, standing up. The three guys stepped back, one murmuring, ‘Holy shit, it’s that spider dude.’ “I know I’m wearing this mask and all, and that might seem to make it hard to hear, but I’m pretty sure I heard her tell you guys to leave her alone.” He glanced back at the woman. “Everything is going to be okay Miss,” he added in his most official voice. She raised an eyebrow, looking quite uncertain about the whole situation, her phone still out.

“What are you gonna do tights boy? There are three of us, and one of you!” one with a large neck and even larger belly said taking a threatening step forward.

Peter grinned behind his mask. “You guys do watch the news right? YouTube?” He sighed. “I guess not everyone is a fan. I’d really hate to test your theory, so if you guys could just leave,”

The large-necked man swung his fist, which Peter caught with his right hand easily, then used his left hand to shoot a web into the man’s face, knocking him back. He shouted in pain, clawing at the spider web attached to his face.  The other two, clearly braver because of their inebriated state, ran at Peter, fists swinging; Peter blocked one with his forearm, and shot out a web at the other, wrapping his feet together and making him fall against the other. They both toppled to the ground, and Peter webbed up the other guy’s feet. “See, now this is what you get for not paying attention to the news,” Peter replied, wiping his hands together in a finished motion. A blue Chevrolet Malibu pulled up to the curb and the window rolled down. A young man, probably just out of college looked at the scene with caution.

“Uh, I’m supposed to be picking someone up here? The lady said to look for Spider-Man?”

Peter turned and gestured to the woman. “Here you go, so you can get home safely.”

The woman ran over to the car and slipped into the back seat. “Thank you,” she called out to Peter.

The driver looked at her and then at Spider-Man. “So, you’re not coming?”

Peter shook his head, “Sir, it’s not light out and so criminals are still afoot. My job isn’t done yet,” he said, trying to make his voice sound deeper and braver than it normally sounded.

The kid shrugged. “All right weirdo, whatever you say.” He rolled his window up and then sped off into the night.

Peter sighed and looked back at the three guys, all writhing around on the sidewalk, trying to untangle themselves from the webbing. “I hope that teaches you three a lesson! If a girl doesn’t want to talk to you, you should just lea- “

He heard a strange mechanical sound just out of earshot of the men, but for him, within range. _What is that?_ He thought. It sounded like something large and metallic that needed some oil. “Uh, yeah that’ll wear off soon. Bye!”

The men cried out objections and obscenities as Peter ran and then jumped, swinging from light poles to buildings, making headway toward the strange sound.

“Karen, can you help me pinpoint where that sound is coming from?” He asked. It sounded as if it was coming closer, or he was closing in on it. He wasn’t sure.

“Scanning now.”

Peter dropped down into an alley, his spider senses prickling. “Karen, it sounds really close…”

“Scan complete. The noise is coming from above you,” Karen said.

“What?” Peter looked up and saw a pair of human eyes staring at him. However, they weren’t quite human because they seemed to be an almost yellowish color, like an animal.

“I got you now, Spider-Man,” the figure said in a low and familiar voice.

“Voice recognition – Mac Gargan,” Karen informed him.

“Oh hey, Mac, long time no see,” Peter said backing up a bit to get a better look at him. The shadows concealed most of him, except his face. “Sorry about putting you in jail and all.”

Mac’s face broke out into a creepy smile. “Yet, I managed to get out. And now I have the tools to kill you.”

He jumped down, landing heavily on the ground. That’s when Peter was able to see that Mac Gargan wasn’t the same Mac Gargan he saw a few weeks ago. He was wearing some enhanced moss-colored suit with one large claw-like mechanism on his left hand, and attached on the back was a huge metal tail that curled up and almost over him with a sharp pointed tip on the end like a scorpion.

“Wow, looks like someone’s been busy,” Peter commented, taking a fighting stance. “Mance make that for you?”

“Mance?” he started laughing. “Mance won’t be making anything for anyone any time soon.”

Peter’s eyes widened, realizing what Mac was implying. “You killed him? You killed Toomes’ guy?”

“I wish I could get the credit, but that actually belongs to my benefactor, the Goblin,” he said nonchalantly. His tale flicked back and forth, the tip remained pointed at Peter. “He’s also graced me with some upgrades to help me catch you.” He lifted the claw mechanism and tapped to the two pinchers together. “Ready for a real fight, Spider-Man?”

“Peter, the armor is made of a new type of Kevlar and high-composite armor plating. There are not many weaknesses in the suit,” Karen notified him.

“OH great, that’s helpful,” Peter exclaimed, his mind starting to work. Just then, Mac’s tail expanded about 10 more feet and he jumped in the air, whipping it around. Peter did a back flip into a layout, barely missing the tip. “Phew, that was close,” Peter said, landing on the awning of a back door. “Hey, so where does someone like the Goblin get a suit like that? I mean that’s pretty high tech.” He then noticed something strange about Mac’s eyes. They looked as if they were turning almost a cat-eye yellow, and thick, green veins seemed to bulge out around his eyes and neck. An unusual green, almost

“Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,” He jabbed at Peter with the tail, and Peter flipped sideways out of the way, just to be hit by Mac’s large pincher hand. It flung Peter against a wall and he pinned him against it between the two pinchers. Peter grunted as he tried to push himself out of it. “Looks like you’re caught, little spider,” Mac said, relishing the thought. He raised the tail once more to strike Peter.

“Wait, if the Goblin wants to catch me, why are you trying to kill me?” Peter suddenly asked.

“Oh, I don’t plan to kill you, not yet. This little bad boy will just put you into a nice deep sleep.”

“Well isn’t that something,” Peter replied in a strained voice. “I just can’t _wait_ to get to see that feature…” He flicked his wrist out pressing his web shooter and hitting Mac square in the eye. Shocked, Mac loosened his grip and Peter slipped through his pinchers, slid out from under him, and sprayed webbing on his tail mechanism.

“ARRGH!” Mac shouted, his one hand pulling at the webbing on his face.

“Oh, man, sorry about that, guess I’ll have to wait to see what that does later!” Peter exclaimed.

Mac swung his tail around and used the pinchers to remove the webbing from it, and as he did so, Peter came at him, jumped up and hit Mac square in the chest with both of his feet. “A little trick I learned from the Cap!” he shouted, as Mac stumbled back. Peter jumped up, releasing webs at Mac, trying to tie him down, however Mac was quick and dodged them, his tail jabbing at Peter as he dodged it. Peter jumped and launched himself off the wall, flipping over Mac, grabbing his tail with his webs and pulled hard, sending Mac rolling in the air.

Mac fell to the ground, landing hard, grunting from the pain. Peter prepared himself for another round. “Hey, I just thought of a joke!” Peter exclaimed, as Mac started to rise from his feet. “Who is the scorpion’s favorite musician?” Mac returned to his feet and stretched out, cracking his neck. “Sting!” Peter laughed a little at his own joke. “Hey that was pretty good, you know all this fighting is really making my banter, oomph!” Mac lunged at him, barreling his head into Peter’s chest. Peter recovered quickly, latching a web onto a fire escape and swing up and around, landing behind Mac and grabbing his tail. Peter lifted him in the air and slammed him against the wall, avoiding the gleaming tip on the tail that threatened to neutralize him. Mac didn’t seem too phased by the impact, and using his tail, he lifted Peter up off the ground and slammed him hard.

Peter felt his body hit the ground with such a violent intensity that it made the bones in his body ache. “Peter, the fall has caused multiple contusions,” Karen alerted him. “It is advised to seek medical attention.”

“No, you don’t say,” Peter grumbled as he tried to lift his upper body off the ground with his elbows. He was thwarted, however, by Mac, who placed one of his metal boots on top of Peter’s chest, pressing down, making Peter gasp out air.

“I’d love to crush you like the bug that you are,” Mac snarled, “But unfortunately, the Goblin would slit my throat too.” Peter attempted to web him, but Mac’s tail whipped around his left arm crushing his web shooter mechanism. “Uh-uh, no more tricks from you.”

“Peter, would you like me to activate the front parachute?” Karen asked.

“The front, what? Yeah, do it!” Peter exclaimed as he watched the tail come at him. The parachute erupted out of the center mechanism on his chest, the force blowing Mac backwards. Peter ripped the cords from the mechanism and then using his good web shooter on his right hand, let out a web to pull him up and out of Mac’s reach. He watched as Mac’s massive pincher arm trying to clip through the chute. “Karen, I think we should get out of here, I’m too hurt to beat him,” he said through heavy breaths, each one hurting a little.  

“That is an accurate assessment,” Karen replied. As Peter was making his way home, slowly and painfully, a call came in through his suit. “Call from Tony Stark,” Karen said.

“What? No, Karen, I don’t know if it’s a good time to,”

“Patching him through,”

“What!? No, Karen, don’t,”

“Hey Slugger, how’s it going,” Tony’s voice and image came up in front of Peter’s face through the virtual display in his suit.

“O…Oh, h..h..hey Mr. Stark,” he said as he leapt over an apartment cooling unit. “I thought you were in China.”

“Oh, I am, but Karen alerted me that you were in distress so I wanted to check in,” he said casually.

“Dammit, Karen,” Peter muttered. “Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about, everything’s fine here!”

Tony looked skeptical. “Your vitals say otherwise,” he commented. “Okay, kid look, I’m not trying to babysit you, but I also don’t want to get on your Aunt’s bad side, if she even has a bad side,” he joked. Peter rolled his eyes. “Inappropriate? Yeah, I could hear it as soon as it left my mouth. Are you out slinging webs?”

“Yeah, I am, just ran into a guy wearing some old Vulture tech, that’s all,” Peter lied. “I took care of it, but yeah, I got a little beat up. No big deal.”

“Well, can’t say it’s not an occupational hazard,” Tony replied. Peter could hear some commotion in the background, along with Happy’s voice. “Hey, hey! Tony shouted. “Happy, the man in the kimono said not to touch those shiny objects so let’s not touch them, okay? I don’t want some large rolling boulder to come barreling toward us at high speeds.” Tony turned his face back toward Peter. “Jesus, magic monks, they have such a stick up their ass about their relics.”

“What?” Peter questioned.

“Not important. Look, are you good?”

“No, yeah, I’m good, Mr. Stark,”

“Tony, Peter, you can call me Tony. I feel like we’ve moved past formalities in our relationship wouldn’t you agree?”

“Sure, T…Tony,” Peter stammered.

“Hey there we go. Just be careful okay? Kind of fond of you, if for no other reason than because you annoy Happy and he’s funny when he’s annoyed.”

“I heard that!” Peter heard Happy shout out in the background.

“Okay, all right, Peter, I’ll see you when I get back to New York.”

“You will?”

“Yeah, why not? Wouldn’t mind seeing your Aunt again anyway, hey, is she dating anyone?”

“You’re married!” Happy shouted.

“Oh yeah, yes, I did get married didn’t I? Don’t tell Pepper I said that. All right, good talk.” He gave Peter a confident smile and then hung up.

Peter reached his apartment and collapsed on top of the roof, breathing heavily. His ribs hurt badly, and he wondered if any of them were broken. He couldn’t believe Karen had contacted Tony though. _I had it under control! I could have taken him out if I wanted to, but I need to find out more about what was going on with him. His eyes, that suit. How did he get that tech? and when did he get so strong?_

He quickly realized he wasn’t doing enough reconnaissance on this Goblin character and his nefarious schemes. He needed to go to that address Aaron gave him, and he needed to find out what the Goblin has Mac’s guys peddling and what Mac is doing with such a high-tech piece of equipment.

As he changed out of his suit and put on his pajamas, he heard his text alert sound on his phone. He picked it up and was both surprised and saddened by what he saw.

_Don’t think we should study together anymore. Wouldn’t want Cindy to get mad……….._

He threw his phone angrily onto his bed. “Good way to end a shitty day,” he grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though it won't play a part in this story, the Infinity War beginnings are slowly hinted throughout interactions with Tony. :) I feel like it'd be around this time when that would start to occur.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I appreciate the feedback!


	9. Gifts and Curses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up guys! Thank you again for all the kudos and comments I really appreciate them! Feedback is always appreciated :) 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy, I'm really looking forward to posting the next chapter after this, as it's going to have a lot of fun stuff in it! 
> 
> Thank you for being patient too! Labor day weekend got the better of me!

Another dinner, another night of questioning from his father. Harry couldn’t think of a worse way to spend his Friday night. It had been two weeks since Harry had started trying to be friends with Peter, and he had learned nearly nothing about him. He clearly didn’t want anyone to find out what he did at the Stark internship, which Harry thought was weird that he didn’t brag about it because Harry didn’t know any other junior who wouldn’t brag about getting such a prestigious internship that so few ever received.

“Perhaps he’s humble,” Norman commented, as Harry explained all this to him. “Certainly not a bad quality to have. A quality that makes one vulnerable, but still an honorable one.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Whatever, he just doesn’t trust me.”

“And why do you say that?” Norman asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because whenever I ask questions about it, that stupid Ned always looks like he’s about to spill the beans. It’s like he knows something about Peter that no one else does. You’re right, Dad, there’s something there, I can feel it.”

Norman smiled in a thin line. “Well then son, you need to try harder to break him down. Have you tried talking to this Ned by himself?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, only problem is we only have one class together that Peter’s not in, so I don’t have a lot of time to work on him. But he’s gonna give me the details soon, I know it.”

Norman stirred the sugar in his evening tea. “Yes, let’s hope so. I’d hate for you to have to actually fulfill your duty as my son and run my company for me one day.”

Harry balled his fists up, but remained silent. After broken dishes, a table and two chairs, Harry knew better than to cross his father at the dinner table. Norman was staring at him intently. “What?” Harry said hotly.

“Nothing, I’m just wondering if there’s not something I can do on my end.”

“What can you do? Have your security guys kidnap him and torture him to talk to you?” Norman was silent, making Harry uncomfortable. “Dad, I’m just kidding.”

Norman grinned. “No, I know you are, but I do like the way you’re thinking…” Harry’s eyes widened, making Norman’s smile wider. “And now I’m kidding too.”

Harry let out the air he had inhaled. He watched his father under the guise of taking a drink. He noticed suddenly how tired his father looked. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair looked a bit disheveled. Harry also noticed his skin looked a bit off-colored, almost a sickly olive color to it. He wondered how long his father looked this way, and why it had taken him this long to see it. Norman must have noticed Harry’s prolonged look at him because he cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry Harry, but I have to cut this dinner short I’m afraid. I am meeting some prospective clients to show them a new bio enhancement treatment that’s just finished production.” He pushed his chair back and stood up. “See what you can find out from the friend, but I will try and do something on my end.”

Harry jumped up. “And if your way works, does that mean our deal is off?!”

Norman turned around to look at his son, his eyes narrowing. “While it wouldn’t be the worst thing if it did, no, I’d give you want you wanted, if nothing more than to make sure your ungrateful hands never touch my business.” He turned back around and headed out.

Harry plopped back down in his chair, fuming.

 

* * *

 

 

“Whoa, Peter, slow down there, you’ll choke on that pasta if you keep inhaling it like that!” Aunt May exclaimed, staring at her nephew in wonderment.

Peter was trying to finish his dinner quickly so he could go do some recon on the address that Aaron had given him for Mac. He needed answers for the questions that started to compound on one another. _How did something as simple as finding out who the Goblin is start getting so complicated?_ He thought. He slowed his intake of food and gave May an apologetic smile. “Sorry, just you know, wanna get out there.”

May sighed. “Peter, I know you think you have to take on the world because you were given these powers, but you don’t. You’re still just a kid, my kid. I hate seeing you so run down all the time.”

“I know, I know. I’m trying to balance it all out, it’s just something big has come up and –“

“Big? What? What do you mean big?” she said, her voice rising.

Peter’s eyes widened, realizing his mistake. “No, I mean, not like, life threatening big or anything, just you know… a… bicycle theft… ring.” He cringed at how ridiculous it sounded.

“Bicycle theft ring,” she echoed, looking at him hard.

“Y…yeah, that’s it. I mean huge considering. We’re talking about super expensive road bikes here, stuff that like Lance Armstrong rides. Big deal!” he shook his hands high above his head in exaggeration.

May brushed a piece of her long, auburn hair out of her face and scrunched up her face in skepticism. “Big deal, huh? Okay, as long as you’re not getting caught up in anything crazy that involves guns and stuff. You know how I feel about that.”

Peter shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Yeah, no, of course not, never.”

May kept looking at him hard for a few more seconds before her face dissolved into resignation. “So, I did want to mention something to you,” she said slowly.

“Mmm?” Peter stuffed some more spaghetti into his mouth, followed by some garlic bread.

“So, I have started dating again,” she said, immediately giving him a scared smile.

Peter stopped mid-chew. “You’re what?” He retorted swallowing a large amount of pasta quickly, wincing as it painfully made its way down his throat.

“Dating,” she repeated. “It’s been two years since Ben’s death, and I think I’m finally ready.”

Peter glanced down at his plate. “Oh, well, that’s great, that’s really great.”

“You’re angry,” she said, sounding disappointed.

“No!” Peter exclaimed. “No, no, no I’m not! It’s just weird that’s all. But I understand. I’m a junior now and after next year I’ll go off to college, or go become an Avenger – kidding! – and I don’t want you to be alone.”

May sighed with relief. “I’m glad you’re saying that Peter. It means a lot to me that you feel that way. I actually have a date tonight, in fact.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I met him when I was out on my lunch break. He’s a very nice man, I think you’ll like him. He’s a science-y guy, like you.”

“I’m going to meet him?”

May laughed a little. “No, not yet. I’ve been reading a lot about this, and most of the blogs say I should wait to introduce a potential partner to my children once I feel like the relationship may get more serious.” Peter’s heart ached a bit when she called him her child. Even though they were related, there were times that it was obvious May wasn’t his mom, and he wasn’t her kid. This was not one of those times. “So, I’m going to wait, if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh, no, yeah that’s completely fine May, I can wait to meet him,” Peter said quickly. The thought of his Aunt dating was a little uncomfortable anyway since it implied a lot of inappropriate thoughts Peter did not want to entertain, so if he could wait to meet her new boyfriend, that would be perfectly good with him. Peter slid his chair out and stood up. “So, um, I’m going to go do my patrol now.”

May nodded. “All right, I should get ready anyway. You won’t be out all night, will you?”

Peter shook his head. “Nope, I have an English test tomorrow anyway, so I need to get back and finish reading _The Great Gatsby_.” He made a face.

“Ooh, I love that one. Jay Gatsby, such a dreamer,” May sighed happily. “You should watch the movie with Leo, it’s very good.”

“Right, maybe I’ll find it and download it later,” Peter said, rolling his eyes. He gave her a quick kiss on the head and ran to his room to get his suit on.

Once his suit was on, he told Karen the address, and a GPS map popped up on his virtual screen, and Peter swung into action. He headed out toward the Brownsville neighborhood in Brooklyn where the blip on his map blinked repetitiously. He was still sore from Mac’s surprise attack the night before, and wanted to keep his mission purely reconnaissance. _Hopefully_ , he thought desperately as he climbed walls and swung between buildings. On the way, he stopped a mugger who was trying take a woman’s purse, and grabbed a soft pretzel to snack on.

“Didn’t you already have dinner?” Karen asked him as he took a bit of the pretzel, enjoying its salty, pliable goodness.

“Uh, thanks Karen, did Tony program you to baby-sit me too?” Peter said, irritated.

“He programmed me to be concerned for your well-being. I can only infer that what you eat is part of that,” she replied.

Peter rolled his eyes. “Well, no offense to May, but she’s not the best cook,” Peter replied. He took another big bite of the pretzel and then swung down off the roof he was sitting on, and handed the rest of it to a homeless man laying down under a deli awning. “Are you happy now?” he asked Karen as he got back on track to Mac’s old hideout.

“I do not feel emotions, Peter,” she replied.

“Karen, you’re killing me!” Peter groaned.

The beeping on the map got louder and faster as Peter closed in on Mac’s location. The blip stopped when Peter reached, what he could only describe as an abandoned night club. While the paint was mostly peeling off, a faint purple with gold lining hugged the crack concrete walls. The entrance to the building had a giant marquee with faded lettering and broken out halogen bulbs. “Yeah, this doesn’t look like a creepy place to hide a drug ring at all,” Peter muttered as sneaked around toward the back of the building to see if there was a possible entry point. “Karen, do you see any way in?” He asked.

“There is a back door, and I do not detect any heat signatures near it. However, the center of the building, I detect 20 heat signatures.”

“20?!” Peter exclaimed. “What are they doing in there? Having a birthday party?” He made it to the back door, which was locked. Peter grabbed the handle with a web and pulled hard, pulling the door open with force. It made a loud cracking sound and Peter winced. “Was that too loud?”

“Not sure,” Karen answered. “I am not sensing movement toward our location, so we may be safe.”

Peter slipped into the old club and found himself in the backstage area. To the right there was a hallway that lead to several doors, and straight ahead was the lighting and sound boards for the club itself. As Peter crept closer toward the center of the club, he could hear the sound of machines with voices trying to talk over top of them. Peter found a black metal support beam and deftly climbed up it so that he could view the entire scene before him. In the center of the old club floor were large tables set up with various types of lab equipment; beakers and tubes, petri dishes and trays. Behind it all were two large machines that hummed. There were ten people that Peter could only assume to be scientists standing around the lab equipment in white coats. Some were mixing, while others were manning the machines. Then there were a few handing the finished product off to a few guys in plain dirty shirts and dusty jeans who were packaging the products – small green tablets.

“So they are peddling drugs,” Peter muttered. “But this looks too professional. I mean, scientists? Those guys look like they know what they are doing with that equipment. There’s not way they are a bunch of thugs.”

There were other guys, dressed in street clothes, sitting around, chatting with one another, eyeing the operation with suspicion.

“Where did Mac suddenly get all these scientists? I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is great, they can produce this stuff way faster than we could, but seriously, it’s a really fucking weird, right?” one man in an old military green jacket said to the group.

“I don’t pretend to know what Mac’s got up his sleeve, but after what happened with Angus, and with that Phineas guy, I’m not going to go asking a lot of questions, and you shouldn’t either Jerry,” another, older more rugged looking man replied, crossing his arms and surveying the man in the military jacket cautiously. “Whoever this Goblin guy is that he’s running with now, he’s got some serious money and is seriously crazy.”

“Fucking crazy man. Heard he drowned a couple of guys in a vat of oil because they wouldn’t cooperate. Definitely wouldn’t want to be on his bad side,” said a darker-skinned man in baggy jeans and an even baggier t-shirt.

“Well, if you play well with others, you don’t have to worry about that.” The voice came out of the shadows near the front of the club where a few bars used to be.

The hair on the back of Peter’s neck raised up, and he felt immediately more alert. He heard the moan of the suit followed by Mac’s face and then the tail. He looked back at Mac’s cohorts who had all stood up and were watching Mac in shock.

“Man, Mac, what did he do to you?” the darker-skinned man asked, his eyes moving toward the long mechanical scorpion tail.

“He’s made me better. Just like we’re about to make ourselves and everyone in Queens better.” He tramped through the group of guys and toward the lab set up, his tail swaying high as he walked. “Don’t worry, this isn’t a permanent fix,” he said, as if he could read his friends’ minds. “It’s just a suit, although it feels like so much more, like an extension of who I am meant to be.” He picked up one of the bags of tablets and held it up high. “Must like this drug will make everyone feel. It will show you who you were meant to be. Not weak, but strong, not slow but fast – it will make you invincible.” He beckoned the guy in the military jacket forward. “Jerry, come here and try it out.”

Jerry shook his head. “Nah, that’s okay, Mac. I don’t like to test my merchandise.”

Mac laughed. “Did you think I was asking you?” His tail lashed out and grabbed Jerry, wrapping him up tight. Peter tensed up, ready to jump into action even though he was wary about it. Mac brought Jerry over to him and set him down. “That’s better. Now, come on, Jerry, try it out.” Mac grabbed his face with the pinchers and then used his normal hand to shove a pill down his throat. “Swallow it, Jerry, or I’ll pierce you right through.”

Peter watched Jerry forcefully swallow the pill, his face white as a sheet. Peter leaned forward anxiously waiting to see what would happen.

“How do you feel?” Mac asked.

Jerry looked at his hands, taking deep breaths. “I don’t know, I feel the same I guess.”

“It takes a minute or so for the full effects to come on, but it does metabolize quickly,” Mac replied.

Jerry’s breathing started getting more rapid. “I feel really energized, man. Fuck I want to… I want to… I fucking want to break something man!”

Mac smiled. “Go ahead, break the window of that truck there.”

Jerry walked over to the truck and without any hesitation, punched his fist clear through the glass. First try. Peter’s eyes widened. “What the hell?” he muttered. Jerry pulled his fist out.

“That didn’t really hurt,” he commented, looking at his hand which was bloody.

“It dulls your pain sensors,” Mac explains. “Makes you able to take a hit better.”

Jerry punch the side of the truck door, making a sizeable dent in it. He then let out a warrior cry and lifted the truck clear off the ground.

Peter shrank back, stunned. “How did… that’s impossible…”

The rest of the guys looked at him in awe. “Mac, what the hell is that?” The rugged older man asked.

“Oz,” he said, smugly. “Pop one of these in your mouth and you’ll be able to fight off that Spider-Man easily. I did.”

Peter remembered the look in Mac’s eyes as he attacked him, the yellow tint, the strange green veins. _He must have been on this drug, that’s why he was able to withstand everything_.

“How long does it last?” Another man asked.

“I’ve been testing it and it’s about an hour. And if you have a fast metabolism, shorter than that. But that’s okay! Just means people will buy more to keep the effects going.”

“You’re a damn genius, Mac,” Jerry said, throwing the truck against the wall, watching it crack with satisfaction.

“Not me, The Goblin.” The other men all exchanged nervous glances, but Mac ignored them. “But it’s ready and all we have to do is find some buyers.”

As Peter began to debate whether he needed to act, chaos suddenly erupted on the floor below. Jerry, who had taken the drug, dropped to the floor and started seizing violently, foam starting to form at the edges of his mouth. They all started shouting, and Mac hit a button on his shoulder which released him from the armor. He ran over to Jerry’s body, and grabbing his arms to try to still him. He was shouting for someone to grab something to put in Jerry’s mouth, but it was too late, Jerry went still, his eyes gone blank, still wide from the fear he felt just moments before his death. And as Jerry went still, the rest of the room had gone quiet. The men in lab coats had backed away from the scene as if they were frightened of what Mac might do. Mac’s gang just stared at their former companion.

Mac murmured something in Jerry’s ear, a final prayer of peace perhaps, before standing up. “Well, we didn’t say the drug didn’t have its risks.” He glanced over at the scientists. “I am assuming you guys will let the Goblin know?”

They all gave each other nervous looks, but eventually nodded. Mac looked back at his guys. “Start getting the word out.”

“What?” One of them retorted in shock. “Mac, look at what that shit did to Jerry!”

Mac stormed over to him and picked him up by the front of his shirt. “Like we ain’t sold stuff that fucked people up worse!” He threw the man across the room and he hit one of the old bars, crumpling. “Anyone else feel like crossing me tonight?” The other members shook their heads. “Good, now we got some work to do.”  He then ordered two of his guys to pick up Jerry’s body, and the others dispersed, leaving the building out of various exits.

Peter watched Mac’s suit, ready to pounce on it, ready to disable it, when his phone started ringing. “Shit,” Peter muttered, reaching for his phone to silence it. He glanced at the screen and saw Ned’s name and picture pop up. “Later, Ned,” he whispered, but it was too late. When he looked back down, Mac had disappeared along with the mechanical suit, leaving the scientists to continue their work. He looked around, crawling along the rafters, seeing if he could have seen where Mac had gone. “Any sign of him?” he asked Karen.

“He seems to have gotten away,” Karen replied.

Peter sighed. “I know Karen, I know.”

 

* * *

 

“So now all the criminals are going to be super strong now,” Ned said that Monday after Peter’s reconnaissance mission. They were sitting in the cafeteria for lunch, and Peter was filling Ned in on Mac’s new suit and the new super drug called Oz. “Well, I guess you can just wait for an hour for the effects to wear off? Then beat ‘em up Spidey-style!”

Peter pushed his broccoli around his tray. “Yeah, no, that’s not what we’re calling it, Ned,” he said. “I’m not worried about fighting them, I’m worried about the side effects. That guy just seized up and died! Died Ned! I mean how can I fight this stuff?”

“Destroy the supply, right?” Ned offered.

“Okay, but then the Goblin just has his prisoner scientists make more? And how did he get those guys anyway?”

“Are you sure they’re real scientists?” Ned asked him.

Peter rolled his eyes. “They didn’t look like a bunch of criminals.”

“Who didn’t look like a bunch of criminals?” Harry sat down at their table, looking at them inquisitively.

Ned and Peter exchanged worried glances. “Uh, these guys we ran into this weekend… big dudes we ran into at the store… getting porn… for Peter… and they stole it,” Ned said quickly, trying to deflect the question.

The look on Harry’s face meant that he believed him. “Wow, man, that’s awful, I’m so sorry.”

Peter gave Ned a long look. ‘Really?’ Peter mouthed to him before turning to Harry. “Uh, yeah, you know, it’s not big deal because I was really only getting it because Ned was too afraid to actually get them,” Peter replied, glaring at Ned. Ned’s mouth dropped open. Harry looked at both confused.

“Okay… I don’t really care what you two do in your spare time,” Harry replied, taking a bite of his pasta. “So, where’s that girl, Michelle?”

The mention of Michelle’s name made Peter’s ears go red again. He coughed awkwardly. “Um, she’s a little mad at us… well me, really, right now”

Harry nodded. “Lover’s quarrel huh?”

“Lover’s what? No, no, we aren’t going out or anything,” Peter replied quickly. As if karma were listening to Peter’s conversation, his eyes almost instantaneously met with Michelle’s from the corner of the cafeteria. She wasn’t sitting at a table, but rather sitting on top of one of the window ledges, her feet dangling as she sketched intensely. Her eyes chose that moment to look up into his, and Peter saw that familiar blush followed by the even more familiar scowl before she looked back down at her work. 

“Oh really? I thought you guys were dating or something. You two seemed really close,” Harry replied, shrugging.

“Peter and I actually have dates this weekend,” Ned inserted.

Harry grinned. “You do? Awesome, man! I haven’t really had a chance to talk to a lot of the girls around here. They are all so serious. So, who are the lucky girls?”

“Betty Brant and Cindy Moon,” Ned replied.

“I think I’ve met Betty, never met Cindy.”

“She’s kind of quiet. She, uh, is part of the decathlon team,” Peter replied.

Harry nodded. “Man, this school is so nerdy,” he said as he huffed out air. Peter and Ned glanced at each other again warily. “Okay, what are you going to do with them?” Peter was confused by what Harry meant, and his face must have indicated that because Harry added, “You know, where are you going to take them?”

Peter realized that he and Ned had not even made those plans yet. He looked at Ned, who also seemed to realize this fact. “Oh no!” Ned exclaimed. “We didn’t actually plan the date!”

“Bup, bup, bup, not to worry!” Harry cut in. “I have the perfect date for you guys.” Ned leaned in eagerly, while Peter looked up skeptically. “Flash is having a party Saturday night at his place. You guys should take them there!”

Ned snorted. “Flash wouldn’t let us near his party.”  Peter nodded in agreement. “Plus, we told them Friday.”

Harry shook his head. “So, change it. It’ll make you look cooler. And don’t worry about Flash, you guys come as my guests. It’s the best place to have a date. It’ll be loud so you won’t have to do a lot of talking, and it’ll be crowded so you’ll have to get close,” he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Peter could feel his stomach twisting up nervously. He only ever kissed one girl before, and that was Liz, right before he ruined her homecoming. The thought of getting close to another girl scared him. _Except if it was MJ_ , he thought, his eyes briefly glancing back in her direction. She had finished her drawing and whatever she had in her brown lunch bag, and had jumped off the ledge and started toward the cafeteria doors. Peter wanted to get up and follow her, wanted to apologize to her and confess his feelings. _But you promised Ned… And he has a point about the whole ruining the friendship thing._

Peter sighed. “Harry, I don’t know – “

“We’ll go!” Ned shouted, interrupting Peter. Harry grinned, and Peter quickly closed his mouth. He didn’t like the idea of going to Flash’s party, but if Ned wanted to go, he’d go too.

“Yeah… it’ll be fun,” Peter said weakly.

“Yeah it will be,” Harry replied. “trust me, when you have me on the party committee, you can always guarantee fun times.” He winked at them, and stuffed another forkful of pasta into his mouth.

Soon, the bell rang, and they all packed up, threw their garbage away and headed to their next classes, Harry and Peter walking one direction, Ned walking another.

“So what’s up with you and Michelle anyway?” Harry asked as they made their way down the hall.

Peter cringed. “Um, well it’s a little complicated. Okay, I like MJ,” he started to explain, “But Ned thinks that if we go out it will ruin our friendship, so he suggested I try and go out with someone else, which is why I’m taking out Cindy this weekend.”

“Why would it ruin your friendship?” Harry inquired.

“I don’t know, something about how things can’t go back the way they were, and MJ holding a grudge, which she’s doing a great job proving his point on that one there,” Peter answered, running a hand through his hair, which had a slight wave today.

“Eh, I don’t know about that, Pete, I mean, don’t you want to take the risk? If you really like her. I would.”

Peter wanted to. He really wanted to take the risk. He wanted to feel her fingertips grazing his again. He wanted to smell her alluring scent that made him dizzy. He wanted so much more. “Yeah, well, I’m doing Ned a favor taking Cindy out anyway, double date thing. So, I asked Cindy, and MJ was there, and she got mad at me, and now she won’t talk to me.”

“Girls,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Well, at least you’ll get some out of it.”

“What?”

Harry laughed. “Come on Pete, don’t tell me you haven’t,” Peter blushed, “Dude, really? You never banged someone?”

“Uh, n…n..n..no,” Peter stammered. Harry laughed louder.

“Dude, Saturday night, I’m gonna help you fix that.” He clapped Peter on the back. “I gotta get to English before Mrs. Jeffries writes me up again for being late.”

Harry jogged off to his classroom, and Peter stared after him, his mind reeling. He didn’t want to have sex with Cindy on Saturday, much less do anything else with her. Not when all he could think about was Michelle. He turned around to head to his own class when he nearly collided with someone else, sending their books flying.

“Oh man, I am so sorry!” Peter exclaimed, dropping down to the ground to pick the books up quickly.

“Leave them alone, loser, I’ll get them.”

Peter’s heart stopped. He looked up and at that moment grasped he had run directly into Michelle. She was already crouched down grabbing her own books. Peter just stared at her, knowing it had been the closest they had been to one another since the decathlon incident. “I…I…I’m sorry MJ, I didn’t know you were….”

She looked up into his eyes, and the look in them made Peter’s heart break. They were flashing with anger, but wide with sadness and disappointment. “Yeah, you’re always sorry, aren’t you?” she snapped. She stood up, clutching her books to her chest.

Peter quickly stood, dusting his hands off his jeans. “MJ, I know, and I think we really need to talk,”

“No, Peter, we don’t. You don’t owe me anything okay? I thought… it doesn’t matter what I thought because I was wrong… which is unusual, I’ll admit. But I guess I was wrong about you… about… us,”

“Us?” Peter felt a surge of hopefulness in his chest at the word.

She looked away from him. “I got to get to the journalism lab.” She turned to leave, but Peter grabbed her wrist.

It was so instinctive that Peter didn’t even know he was doing it until he had her wrist. Her skin felt smooth against his callused hands. Callused from all the web practice he did outside of his suit. MJ’s head swiveled in his direction, a brief look of shock, followed by a more permanent look of anger running across her face. “Let go of me, Peter,” she said through gritted teeth, pulling her wrist away.

Peter watched her go, his heart sinking as she stormed off.  He knew she was right. He messed everything up. He knew how she felt, deep down, he had known, and he was too insecure, too worried about what it meant to actually do the right thing. _But maybe it’s a good thing,_ he thought. Because, deep down, he was worried that if he got too close to MJ she might get hurt. Because Peter felt that one day, one of his enemies would come for the people he loved, and if he kept that list short enough, he wouldn’t have as much to lose. And he didn’t know if he could bear to lose MJ like that.

The late bell rang, breaking Peter’s concentration. He groaned and turned again to make it to his next class when he nearly ran into someone else.

“I think the late bell’s already rang, Mr. Parker,” Principal Morita said, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.

Peter threw his hands in the air, giving up as Principal Morita ushered him into his office.


	10. Got to Try a Little Tenderness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up! I'm excited about this one and where it leads and I hope you are too!

The sky was quickly darkening as Peter swung through the air, his heart pumping, his skin starting to perspire. “Time check, Karen,” He said through heavy breaths, landing on top of some scaffolding about three blocks from his apartment.

“It is now 7:30 PM,” Karen answered. “You are supposed to meet Ned and your dates at 8:00 PM.”

“Great, Ned is going to be so mad at me,” Peter groaned.

He hadn’t meant to stay out that late during his afternoon Spider-Man patrol, but he got caught up fighting one of Mac’s lackeys, who had decided to pop that little green pill. Although he was a terrible fighter, he had stamina, just like Mac did, something Peter supposed the pill did. And there were the innocent bystanders to consider, who Peter kept trying to avoid as he tried to stop the guy from robbing the Queens County Savings Bank right off 188th Street. 

“Karen, can you call Ned for me?” Peter asked, as he jumped off the scaffolding and landed in a tuck and roll onto the street, breaking into a run.

“Of course, Peter.”

BRRRRING BRRRINNG

“Peter? Thank god you called Dude, I’m freaking out!”

“Ned…. I’m running… a bit… behind,” Peter panted out.

“Dude are you running right now?”

“Yeah…. Got… held… up.”

“Peter! We are all supposed to meet at your house at 8!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Peter said, stopping to brace himself to jump on a moving city-bus. He made the leap and landed on the side, crawling up to the top, ignoring all the exclamations and stares of the onlookers. He sat down on top of the bus. “I’ll be ready by the time you guys get there. What’s going on with you though?”

“Peter, I’ve never been on a date before. You at least took Liz to homecoming, but I have never done this! What if she tries to hold my hand and it’s all sweaty and gross?”

“Okay, first of all, I don’t think I would count taking Liz to homecoming a date. First, I find out her dad is a villain, then he threatens my life, and I literally leave her at the dance by herself to stop her dad.”

“Still a better date than the one I’m about to have!” Ned cried out dramatically. “I just want Betty to like me.”

“And she will man, just be yourself.”

“Have you met me?”

“Yeah, and I think you are a pretty cool dude,” Peter replied with a smile. He could hear Ned’s mother yell something at him.

“Okay Mom!” Ned shouted. “Okay, I gotta go. You will be ready right?”

The bus turned onto Peter’s street and Peter’s smile faded when he saw a black Audi sitting in front of his apartment building. “Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll be ready,” He said. “See you soon.” He clicked his earpiece to hang up and jumped off the bus a few feet from his apartment building. He climbed up to his room and slipped inside, running through his door to the living room.

“Peter there you are!” Aunt May was standing near the couch, putting some earrings on, her eyes gesturing to their guest on the couch.

“Oh, hello Peter, how was your patrol? Catch some bike thieves again?” Tony Stark said with a smirk. He was dressed in a black tux looking a little overdressed for a visit to Peter’s house.

“Tony!” Peter exclaimed running over to him as Tony stood up and came around the side of the couch. Peter nearly barreled into him, hugging him tightly.

“Well, wasn’t expecting that kind of greeting,” Tony said awkwardly. Peter quickly pulled away, feeling embarrassed. “How’s it going kid?”

Peter looked around. “Where’s Happy?”

“In the car, he just texted me and said he saw you jumping off a bus.”

“Oh yeah, that was me,” Peter said, gesturing to his Spider-Man suit. “You look all dressed up.”

“Oh, this old thing? No, I just have this September Foundation gala thing to go to; you know, schmooze some donors, embarrass Pepper a little bit, the usual fun times. But I just got back in from China, and I wanted to come see you.”

“You did?”

“Of course, just wanted to check in, see how things were going, you know that sort of thing. Could we uh,” he looked at Aunt May.

She threw her hands up. “Go, be secretive. I have to go anyway, I have to meet my date.” She walked over to Peter and kissed the top of his head. “You need to get ready for yours too, bud. You said they’d be here at 8 right?”

“Wait a minute, Pedro, do you have a date?” Tony gave him a sly grin. “Wow, I’m impressed.”

May looked over at Tony with a mixed look of annoyance and disdain. “Do me a favor and don’t give Peter any of your infamous advice on women.”

“I’ll have you know I am a happily married man now,” Tony said defensively.

“Okay, sure. Peter, have a great time. Tony, as always, good bye.” She grabbed her purse and rushed out the door.

“I wonder what lucky guy snatched her up,” Tony said under his breath watching her go. Peter scrunched up his nose in disgust. Tony looked back at him, realizing he heard him. “Sorry about that. So, tell me about this Mac Gargan guy.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “How do you know about – oh wait – Karen,” he sighed.

“A promise is a promise, kid. Your aunt wanted me to watch out for you and I’m gonna do that, as often as I can. Took a look at that suit of his. That’s some impressive stuff. He’s dealing with a professional of my caliber.”

Peter started walking to his room to change out of his suit, Tony following him. “Yeah, I know, and I wasn’t prepared for it. But it’s worse than that. He’s on something.”

“On something? What? A little bit of that Mary Jane? Some blow maybe?”

“No, no,” Peter replied, stepping out of his suit and grabbing a pair of jeans from his closet. “It’s some kind of pill, and it’s not supposed to make you all loopy and crazy, but it’s supposed to make you stronger, faster, that sort of thing.” He grabbed a t-shirt that said, ‘May the Mass Times Acceleration Be with You,’ and threw a flannel long-sleeved shirt over top of it. “It was like someone bottled up Captain America and mass-marketed him.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Really? How do you know all of this?”

Peter grabbed a comb and started trying to comb back his hair. “I kind of went to his evil lair and saw a bunch of scientists working on it.  And I saw it in action. He gave it to one of his guys and he could punch this van without even breaking a bone in his fist!”

“Right, okay, looks like you may need some help on this,” Tony said, after a few seconds of silence.

“What!? No, no, I don’t. Tony, I have this under control.”

“You didn’t look like you had it under control when you were fighting him,” Tony pulled a video up on his phone of Peter and Mac fighting, and Peter losing, badly. “Ouch, that had to hurt,” Tony commented.

“Fine stop it,” Peter muttered. Tony turned it off. “You know I can’t get better if you try and take all my missions away from me.”

“Missions? Kid, this isn’t a mission, this is something very bad you stumbled into. And I’m not taking it away from you, I’m just saying that maybe there are some elements here that you aren’t equipped to handle because, you know, you’re a _high school student_? You still have to graduate high school you know, and this guy could make that very difficult.” Peter started to object, but Tony stopped him. “Look, let me do some digging okay? I’ll put some guys on it,”

“Avengers?”

“No, they are a little… busy… at the moment. But someone will look into this okay? Just not you,” he placed his hands on Peter’s shoulders. “You’re doing a good job Peter.” Peter raised an eyebrow, and Tony sighed. “I know I am really not good at this whole surrogate father thing. Okay, I’ll keep you posted on what I find out okay?”

Peter nodded, feeling dejected and defeated. He followed Tony out of his room, after he stuffed his suit into his backpack, and headed to the door.

“So, who’s the big date with?” Tony asked him, stopping just at the door.

Peter cleared his throat. “Um, this girl who is on my decathlon team, and Ned and her friend, it’s a double date.”

Tony nodded. “The pretty girl from that picture on your computer? The one with the pissed off look?”

Peter realized he was referring to a picture Peter had of him, MJ and Ned getting caught off guard at decathlon practice by the yearbook photographer last year. Peter thought it was a funny picture. “Oh, no, not her… that’s a longer story than I have time for.”

“Kids these days. You are all so dramatic.” He opened the door, and there stood Ned, Cindy and Betty. Ned looked ready to knock on the door, his right hand in a fist, frozen in the air. Tony regarded them. “Oh hello, don’t mind me, I’m just leaving. I have my own party to go to.” He glanced back at Peter. “Happy’ll be sad he missed this.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Peter snorted.

Tony held his hand out to Ned. “You must be Ned. Tony Stark, pleasure to meet you.” Ned’s mouth dropped open, but nothing came out. “Hmm, Peter said you were really talkative.” He shrugged. “Ladies,” he nodded in their direction and then slipped through them and down the stairs.

Peter fixed his backpack over his shoulder. “Sorry about that, uh, internship stuff.”

“Wow, Peter, I didn’t know you and Tony Stark were so close,” Cindy gushed moving toward him and grabbing his arm.

“Er, yeah, we are pretty close,” Peter replied. “Um you guys ready to go?” Cindy nodded enthusiastically, and Peter shut the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

 

They took the subway to Jamaica Estates where Flash lived. It was a part of Queens Peter didn’t see very often, even when he did his patrols. The neighborhood was full of well-kept Tudor style homes that dwarfed Aunt May’s apartment. In fact, they made her apartment look like a shoe box. Ned led the way, talking animatedly to Betty about the new Han Solo movie, and she seemed to be listening to him. Meanwhile, Peter was struggling to find something to talk about with Cindy. Aside from decathlon, Peter didn’t know much about Cindy, and since he wasn’t known to be a master conversationalist, the two of them just walked behind Ned and Betty in silence, both trying to make conversation.

First, Peter tried to compliment her. “Uh you look really nice, Cindy,” he said, and in earnest she did. She was wearing a paisley print dress with a pair of those black ballet shoes that girls liked to wear.

“So, um, what do you like to do when you’re not at school?” Peter asked her.

Cindy pushed a strand of her long, black hair behind her ear. “Oh, um, well I do study a lot, and soccer takes up a lot of time…”

“You play soccer?” Peter asked, surprised he didn’t know that before.

“Yeah, Peter, I’ve been playing on the school team since we were freshmen,” Cindy let out a small laugh.

“O…o…oh yeah, I forgot, sorry,” Peter replied, reddening a bit.

“Yeah, so um what do you like to do?” Cindy asked.

“M..m..me? Um, well you know, I have that Stark internship after school, so that keeps me really busy.”

“Oh yeah! What do you do there anyway? It always sounds so mysterious!”

Peter scratched the back of his head. “It’s uh, I can’t really talk about it? Yeah, Mr. Stark, uh, Tony, he has a lot of classified stuff he has us work on, so, yeah…”

“Oh,” Cindy looked back down at her shoes. “I understand. Still, it must be really cool doing that. I mean, Mr. Stark even shows up to your house? My friend’s brother did an internship there a few years ago, and he said he barely even saw him.”

Peter just shrugged and laughed awkwardly, unsure of what to say to that.

They eventually arrived at Flash’s house, which was just as large as Peter expected, but fuller than he expected. Cars lined the street, and there were kids inside and out laughing and Peter didn’t even know if they had that many students at Midtown High. “Who are all these people?” Peter asked as they approached the open gate.

“Flash told everyone to invite other people from other schools,” Cindy explained. “I guess these are those people.”

Peter shook his head. It was a little overwhelming, and all he wanted was to get out of there and finish patrolling for the night, perhaps head back to that hideout. _Except Tony doesn’t want you to get involved anymore_. He didn’t like that Tony wanted to take over his investigation. Mac was trying to catch him, after all. This was personal, and Tony didn’t trust Peter to be able to handle it by himself. It made Peter angry, which didn’t help his mood for the evening.

As they entered the house, Peter could hear Flash shouting, “Where’s all my party people at!?” into a microphone. He looked to his left and saw Flash, as usual, behind his DJ stand, pretending to mix “sick” beats in his living room. People were already dancing, their bodies almost resembling shadows with how low the lights were. The only lights Peter could see were some strobe lights that Flash had put up on top of some bookshelves.

“There he is!” Peter turned and saw Harry coming toward them, his arms opened wide. He approached Peter and came in for a half hug, which caught Peter off guard, so he completely missed his hand and Harry ended up squishing his right arm. “I’m so glad you guys are all here! Come on, we got to get you some drinks!” He ushered them toward the kitchen.

“Um, actually, I need to put my backpack up first, if that’s okay,” Peter said, eyeing the stairs to the second floor. “I’ll be right back.”

“Why did you bring a backpack anyway?” Betty asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh, well, you know, you never know, am I right?” Betty and Cindy exchanged confused looks. Ned just smiled weakly. “I’ll be right back.” He made for the stairs and sprinted up them. “Okay, where will I hide you that no one will go?” he said quietly to himself. He opened the first door, and realized it was Flash’s room. Peter’s eyes widened and he quickly shut the door. “Okay, definitely not in there.” He then found his parents’ room. Peter looked over the room at the empty pristinely made king sized bed, the large mahogany dressers. _This will make a good hiding space, no one will want to come in here_. He walked over to the closet and stuff his backpack just inside the door, against the wall. He felt ashamed that he had brought his suit along on a date. He knew it would look bad if he just left Cindy in the middle of the party. It would not help with his terrible reputation at school for ditching people, but he felt as if hunting Mac, find the Goblin, those were more important at the moment.

He headed back downstairs to the kitchen and saw his friends standing around a large punch bowl, each of them sipping on a red plastic cup. “Hey, sorry, I’m back,” he said, giving them all his best smile.

Harry handed him a cup. “Enjoy, my friend.”

Peter took the cup and took a sip, and instantly spit it back out. “Ack, what is that? Is something wrong with the punch?” It felt as if it burned his mouth when he drank it.

Harry started laughing. “Pete, it’s spiked obviously!” He grabbed a plastic bottle from behind the bowl and held it up. “Had some of my older friends get it for me. Usually, I’d only drink my dad’s expensive stuff, but Flash said this party was going to be huge, so I just had them get me the cheap stuff. Has a bit of a bite, doesn’t it?”

Peter eyed the cup warily. “Uh, yeah, it sure does.” He glanced at Ned. “Are you gonna drink that?”

Ned had just put the cup to his lips. “Uh, yeah, Peter, come on it’s a party,” he said, glancing at Betty, who was taking hers in small gulps. Ned quickly downed his cup, and gasped as it hit his stomach.

“Atta boy, Ned!” Harry shouted, patting Ned on the back.

Peter looked back down at his cup. He wasn’t opposed to trying a drink, but he also wanted to go patrol later and didn’t think being drunk doing that was such a good idea. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna hold of for a little bit,” Peter said. He looked over at Cindy who was cringing every time she took a sip. “You don’t have to drink it,” he said to her in a low voice.

She looked back at him with a horrified look. “No! No, I want to,” she replied, and as if to prove her point, took a larger gulp. Peter raised his eyebrows at her disgusted look.

“Figures you’re too much of a pussy to drink that,” Peter whipped his head around and saw MJ walking up to them.

Peter couldn’t help but let his mouth drop open. She didn’t look like the MJ who usually graced the hallways of Midtown High. First, she was wearing makeup, a lot of makeup, something she usually hated – or so she had told Peter once. But what was more shocking was what she was wearing. The strappy black dress she had on was short and low, and Peter could feel his body start to get warm quickly. He bit the inside of his mouth to try to stop himself from getting too excited. He always thought she was beautiful, but something about the way she looked right then, made her stand out completely from every other girl there. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was sexy. She grabbed Peter’s cup and swallowed its contents quickly, barely flinching. She then handed him back his cup and looked at Harry.

“So, are we doing this or what?” She asked him, giving him a bored look.

Peter looked at Harry and then back at MJ with confusion. MJ walked toward the living room, without another glance at Peter. Peter watched Harry as he watched MJ walking away, and the look on Harry’s face made Peter’s insides turn uneasily. Harry let out a low whistle and looked back at Peter. “I forgot to tell you, um, MJ asked me if I wanted to come to this party with her, and I said yes. You aren’t mad, right? Man, I know there’s all that drama between you two, and,”

“She what? Uh, no, yeah, no it’s fine, man really. I mean we never dated or anything,” Peter said, his voice sounding hollow and far away.

Harry smiled and put his hand on Peter’s shoulder, squeezing it hard. “Thanks, man. Hey, you guys go and enjoy yourselves, I’ll swing by later!” He eagerly made his way to the living room, following her.

Peter’s head was buzzing, and he couldn’t move. He felt someone’s hand wrap around his bicep.

“Wow, MJ looks really pretty, doesn’t she?”

Peter looked down at Cindy who was looking at him with large, weepy eyes. He realized he was probably staring too long. “Uh, yeah, she looks alright,” he replied, shrugging, and trying to play it off. He caught Ned’s eye though, and he looked worried. “Hey Cindy, why don’t we go, uh find somewhere to talk?”

Cindy’s mood seemed to change instantly. “Yeah! Let’s do that! Um, I’m just going to get another drink quickly. You want one?”

Peter shook his head. “No, probably not a good idea. I have…um… stomach problems sometimes.”

Cindy looked a little disappointed, but said, “Okay,” and then grabbed herself more punch. She took Peter’s hand and started leading him to the TV room where a bunch of kids were hanging out playing pool. Peter looked back at Ned, who gave him two thumbs up before he turned to his own date.

They leaned against the wall and continued making their awkward small talk, struggling to hear one another among the growing crowd around them. Peter tried to pay attention to Cindy as she talked about soccer practice and what he was missing in band, but his eyes kept wandering over to the living room area, where he was trying to catch a glimpse of MJ. However, the dance floor was getting even more crowded, which Peter couldn’t understand why because the music that Flash was mixing was terrible. Peter swore that if Flash used one more air horn, he was going to rip all his hair out.

He glanced down at his phone to check the time. _How is it only 10?_ He thought, groaning. Cindy left to go get more to drink, leaving Peter alone against the wall. He decided to look for Ned, to see how he was doing with Betty. Peter craned his neck trying to find them, but he couldn’t see Ned or Betty anywhere.

“Hey Parker, date ditch you already!?” Flash shouted as he walked into the TV room. Peter noticed that the air horns had stopped sounding out in the other room. Even if he had to see Flash, he was glad that he didn’t have to listen to those things for a while. “You are so lucky to be here, Parker,” Flash said as he came up to Peter and placed his arm around his shoulder. Peter rolled his eyes. “If it wasn’t for Harry, I would have kicked you out as soon as you tried to enter the door.” He squeezed Peter’s shoulders. “Enjoy the party!” He then left Peter alone to go and do Jaeger bombs with a few of his friends in the kitchen.

“Hey!” Cindy shouted as she returned with another drink. Peter eyed the drink warily, knowing it was her fourth. She was smiling too widely, her eyes were starting to go unfocused, and it looked like she had gotten a bit sloppy with the punch bowl. “This stuff is soo good, isn’t it?”  She started to sip it a little, and some dribbled down her chin. “Oops! I don’t know why I am so sloppy with this!” She giggled, wiping her chin off. She set her drink down on the coffee table near them and then pressed herself against Peter. He backed further into the wall, caught off guard.

“Whoa, Cindy, d….d…do you think, maybe, you should switch to, uh, water?” Peter asked her timidly.

She looked up at him and giggled. “I’m fine silly! But you seem so nervous!” She grabbed the edges of his t-shirt. “Peter, I have a secret to tell you,” she whispered loudly.

“Oh yeah, um, wha, what is it?” He asked. The way Cindy was pushing into him, her hands moving up to his shoulders, made him start to feel anxious.

“I have, like, a huge crush on you,” she whispered in his ear, giggling.

“O..o..oh,” Peter said lamely. The closeness of Cindy’s lips to his own started to increase the anxiety, stifling him, making him go stiff. She pulled back just a bit to look into his eyes.

“You’re really cute,” she whispered. Then she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

Peter had only ever kissed one girl before, and it was on a dare at Flash’s birthday party in 7th grade before Flash decided Peter wasn’t good enough to hang out with anymore. He wasn’t sure if he should kiss her back so he didn’t do anything. She pulled back, looking concerned. “Are you okay?”

Peter saw the hopefulness in her eyes. He knew that if he kissed her, it’d only hurt her. He sighed. “Cindy, I’m sorry, I just…” He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. She bit her lip, her eyes going wide. “I just don’t feel that way about you. A…a…and I don’t want to do anything that would make you think that.” He dropped his hands and stuffed them in his pockets.

“It’s MJ isn’t it?” she asked him, her face suddenly turning red. Peter was surprised by Cindy’s assumption. “It is, I am so stupid,” she shook her head, looking down at the ground. “Why did you even ask me out, Peter? So you could embarrass me here?”

“What!? No, not at all, I was, it’s complicated,” Peter said struggling to find the right words.

“Sure it is,” Cindy laughed cynically. “I thought you were a nice guy, Peter.”

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw Flash approach them. “Hey Cindy, Penis Parker over here being lame?”

Cindy looked like she brushed a tear away from her face. “Yeah, totally lame,” she said, not even looking at Peter.

Peter scoffed as Flash gave him a wolfish grin. “Wanna come dance with me? I promise I’m ten times better than Parker over there.”

Cindy nodded. “I think that sounds great!” She grabbed Flash’s arm, and shot Peter a withering glance before Flash escorted her to the dance floor, shouting, “Later Penis Parker!”

“Dude, why is Cindy dancing with Flash?” Harry asked him moments later as he came up to him.

“Oh you know, ‘cause I blew it,” Peter replied, running a hand through his hair frustrated. “I shouldn’t have even asked her out, I’m so stupid.”

Harry gave him a sympathetic smile. “Dude, it’s okay. MJ ditched me too,” he replied.

Peter slowly dropped his hands. “She did? Uh, where’d she go?” he asked, as nonchalantly as possible.

Harry chuckled. “Wow, you really do have it bad for her don’t you?” He leaned against the wall next to Peter. “I think she left. That’s what she said she was going to do anyway. Sorry, man.”

Peter stuffed his hands in his pockets. “It’s all right. She probably wouldn’t even talk to me if I went up to her anyway.” He wondered if it was time for him to go. He could grab his suit and get some really good Spider-Man action in before the night was over. “You know what, I think I should probably go too,” he said, making to leave.

Harry grabbed his shoulder. “No, man, come on stay! Grab another drink, have some fun. Your other science nerd friends seem to get the idea of what a party is!” Harry shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small bag. “Look, I wasn’t going to bring these out until later, but it looks like you might need a little boost.” He pulled something out of the bag and placed it in Peter’s hand.

Peter looked down, and he nearly jumped when he saw what Harry had placed there. “Uh, Harry, um, wh..where did you get this?”

The little green tablet could have been anything, but the small wording stamped on it was unmistakable – ‘OZ’. He looked up at Harry in shock. Harry looked back at him with confusion.

“What? Oh come on, it’s just something to help you have a little fun. I was at my dad’s lab waiting for him to go to dinner, and I found these pills in my dad’s office. I think they were just brought up from shipping or whatever.”

Peter’s mind was starting to turn. _The scientists, of course! They had to come from someone who would hire scientists!_ “Harry, do you even know what this pill does?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know but I figured, Oz, like the Wizard of Oz, probably creates some pretty trippy experience, you know what I mean?”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Harry, have you given this out to anyone else?”

“No,” Harry said slowly, staring at Peter with suspicion. “I was saving them for later, but you seem like you need a chill pill.”

Peter handed the pill back to him. “Harry, do not give these out to anyone, okay?”

Harry looked offended. “Uh, since when did you become the party police? I can give these out to whoever the hell I want. I’m in charge of keeping this thing fun.”

Peter shook his head. “You don’t understand, Harry! This stuff, is, I mean, could be dangerous! You don’t know what it even does! You’re just assuming it – “

“Peter, you know what,” Harry said, cutting him off, “You really are a loser, just like Flash says you are. If you don’t want it, don’t take it. But I’m going to make sure everyone else has fun tonight.” He stormed off, leaving Peter in a state of alarm.

_I need to find Ned_ , he thought, leaving his spot on the wall to search for his best friend. He first looked around the kitchen area to see if he could spot him, but instead had a cup of punch spilled on him by some drunk guys who were playing flip cup at the island. He wedged his way through the crowd dancing in the living room, narrowly avoiding elbows, hips and butts. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, to see Flash grinding up against Cindy.

Flash gave him the middle finger. “Sorry about your luck, Parker!” he shouted over the music. Cindy looked over at him, that same glare still there.

“Hey Cindy!” Peter shouted, “Where’s Ned and Betty!?” At first, he was worried that she wouldn’t answer him, but she pointed in the direction of the large front window, where Ned and Betty were sitting on the sofa, making out. Peter grinned, forgetting for a second about Harry and the Oz, and instead happy for his best friend, who was so nervous about going out with Betty in the first place. “Thanks Cindy!” Peter shouted back, smiling at her and nearly forgetting that he had pissed her off by snubbing her advances. He pushed his way to Ned, ignoring the rude comments of the people he had to push out of the way.

“Ned! Hey Ned!” Peter shouted, trying to catch his friend’s attention as he stopped in front of him. Ned had his arms around Betty’s waist, his face pressing hard against hers as theirs lips mashed together. Peter sighed and kicked Ned’s ankle. “Ned!”

“Ow, what the fuck?!” Ned exclaimed, breaking his and Betty’s embrace. Betty looked up at Peter, her lips and the skin around them bright red. Ned’s looked the same as he finally looked up at him. “Peter, what the hell are you doing?”

Peter gave them both an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, I need to talk to you though.” He looked at Betty. “Could I, steal him away for a bit?”

Betty sighed. “I suppose. But hurry back okay?” she gave Ned her best try at a seductive grin, which worked.

“2 minutes, promise,” Peter replied, grabbing Ned’s arm and pulling him off the couch. Once they were out of earshot, Peter turned to face his friend and got hit with a strong smell of alcohol. “Jesus, man, did you just pour an entire bottle of vodka on you?”

Ned pulled his arm out of Peter’s grasp. “Shut up, Peter,” he said, looking ashamed. “What do you want? Can you not see that I am scoring over there with Betty right now? Me? Can you even believe it?”

Peter smiled. “I am really happy for you man. I just… okay, so remember that pill I was telling you about? The one that Mac and the Goblin are about to push out?” Ned kind of shook his head up and down then side to side. “Okay, whatever, Harry just tried to give me one of those pills.”

Ned’s eyes widened. “What!? But you don’t need that! You’re already super strong!”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “What? No, Ned, you’re missing the point, Harry has them because he got them from his dad’s lab! Harry’s dad is working with these guys don’t you see!?”

“Oh, wow! Really?! That’s crazy, that’s… Okay I’m really too drunk to care right now Peter, so can we talk about this later?” Ned’s face went from wide with shock to bored quickly.

Peter grabbed Ned’s shoulders. “Dude, Harry is going to give that stuff out to everyone and things are going to get bad! We have to stop him!”

“Correction, you have to stop him. What can I do? I will tell you what I’m going to do, I’m going to go back over there and not ruin my one shot with Betty.”

Peter shook his head. “What? Ned, you always tell me how you want to be a part of all this,”

“yeah, but not when we’re at a party acting like normal teenagers, Peter! I want to enjoy the party!”

“Well if Harry gives that stuff to a bunch of people, there won’t be a party to enjoy!”

Ned pushed Peter away from him. “You know, I think this whole Spider-Man act makes you a lot less fun sometimes. You are always so worried about some dubious scheme, and maybe we can just for once take a breath and have fun?”

“I am not less fun because of my Spider-Man stuff, how can you even say that?”

“Yes, you are, you even brought your suit because you want to leave this party,” Ned shot back. “You think you’re better than this, than us, admit it!”

Peter felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He wasn’t expecting this, not from Ned. “Dude, okay, I do not think I’m better than you or anyone else. This is not what this is about, okay? This is serious, I saw a guy have a seizure and die! If Harry gives anyone that pill, that could happen again!”

“Then go!” Ned shouted. “Go be the hero, go ruin the party and make everyone leave.” He shook his head angrily. “God, just because Flash stole your date,”

“Flash didn’t steal my date Ned, I let her go with him. Come on, you know I don’t like Cindy like that,” Peter retorted. He could feel anger rising in his chest. “You’re the one who wanted me to go out with her.”

“Okay sorry, I was just trying to be a good friend, jeez!” Ned exclaimed.

“I’m not, Ned, it doesn’t matter okay! This is more important right now!”

“Of course, when I’m getting somewhere with a girl, you decide that it’s not important. If it were you and MJ, it’d be a different story!”

“Ned, stop it, okay, you’re drunk and being stupid,” Peter said, a scolding tone in his voice.

Ned rolled his eyes. “I’m being stupid!? You’re the one who can’t ever relax and have fun. Just stop being Spider-Man for one second. It’s annoying.”

“Annoying? You weren’t saying that when you were wearing my mask and playing with  my web shooters!” Peter said, his anger reaching his peak. “Man, I don’t even know why I bothered coming to you. Just forget it.” He waved Ned off, and started walking away.

“Where are you going?” Ned demanded.

“I’m leaving this stupid party,” Peter said, making his decision in that instant.

“Good! I don’t need you here anyway!” Ned shouted after him.

“Grrr, Good because I don’t need you!” Peter shouted back, stamping up the stairs. He could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly, the anger coursing through his body, making his head start to throb. “Stupid Ned,” he muttered to himself as he made his way to Flash’s parents room. The night was a complete disaster. MJ came with Harry and then left, Cindy got mad at him and then embarrassed him by dancing with Flash, Harry’s dad could potentially know the guy who wants to kill Peter, and to top it all off, he and Ned were now fighting. Peter knew he should try and steal those pills from Harry before he could hand them out, but he was so angry at everyone, he really just wanted to leave and go swing through the city.

There was something being suspended above the city, calculating where his next web would go. It was relaxing in a way, the feel of the wind rushing around his body as he soared through the air. He felt that he thought the clearest when he was out there, doing what he was supposed to be doing – being Spider-Man, saving people. It wasn’t his fault Ned couldn’t understand that.

Peter got to the bedroom door and pushed it open. He started to make a beeline for the closet, when he heard someone from the bed say, “What are you doing in here?”

Peter turned his head quickly and stopped in his tracks as he stared at MJ knees curled to her chest, staring at him with wet, bloodshot eyes.


	11. Please Don't Stop the Music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! lots of traveling the past two weeks! first for work, and second for fun to Toronto! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

Peter looked around the room awkwardly. The last person he expected to find in that room was her. She stared at him with a look that could only be described as contemptuous; it looked as if she had been crying, her eyes glistening from tears that she quickly wiped away when she saw him. Peter slowly entered the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Uh, sorry, I was just…” he paused, running over to the closet and grabbing his backpack. “Getting this.” He held it up for her to see. “Are you okay? Did Harry do something to you?”

She laughed bitterly. “He may have tried to kiss me, but that’s it.” She looked at his backpack and regarded it with a hint of curiosity. “Are you leaving already?” she asked in a mocking voice, lowering her knees so that her legs were stretched out on the bed.

Peter’s eyes couldn’t help but travel along the length of her body, admiring her sleek legs that he never really had seen that much of before – until now. Peter could feel a different kind of heat rising in his body, creating this strange prickly feeling all over. He quickly looked down to his feet, hoping she didn’t notice how long he was staring at her legs. “Uh, yeah, this party sucks,” He muttered, shifting his backpack onto his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes and laid her head back onto the pillow. “What, things didn’t work out with Cindy? Come on, I thought the two of you made _such a cute couple_.” She made a gagging noise.

Peter glared at her. “I thought you left,” he snapped back.

MJ lifted her head up just enough to look at him. “Does it look like I left? I wanted to but I couldn’t get to my coat, so I decided to hide up here.” She laid her head back down. “Why do you care if I left anyway? Why am I even talking to you!? Ughh,” she groaned loudly.

Peter turned to leave. He could taste his freedom, it was so close. Yet, something in the back of his mind prevented him from moving. He turned back around. “You know, if you’d actually talk to me, then maybe I could have explained everything,” he said, feeling a sudden burst of confidence mixed with frustration. It had been two weeks and they hadn’t spoken since he had asked out Cindy, and Peter was tired of it. “Maybe if you had talked to me, you’d know that I only asked out Cindy because I was afraid that if we dated it would ruin our friendship!”

Michelle sat up quickly. “What are you talking about?”

“I like you MJ, okay?! I like you a lot, but Ned said that if we went out and things didn’t go… well, that it would ruin our friendship. And I like hanging out with you, so…” he trailed off, his face going red.

Michelle sighed. “Peter, you really took relationship advice from Ned? I know he’s your best friend, but, come on. Are we both that immature that if we dated and broke up that we wouldn’t still be friends? I mean, I know Ned might be that immature, but - ”

“What if I cheated on you?”

“Are you going to cheat on me?” MJ asked pointedly.

“Wait, I’m confused, are we dating now or is this all hypothetical?”

MJ shrugged. “Depends on you, I guess.” She looked down at her hands, suddenly silent.

Peter dropped his backpack and walked over to the other side of the bed, climbing onto it and sitting next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both unsure of what to say. Peter glanced over at her. “MJ, why were you crying? You don’t cry,” he asked, his voice soft.

MJ was picking at the cuticles of her nails. “You like this dress?” she responded. Peter nodded, making her chuckle dryly. “Good because I wore it to make you… jealous.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “You did?”

“Did it work?” She looked up and over at him.

Peter smiled. “It did,” he replied.

“Good,” she said, looking satisfied. “Not that I need your approval. The fact that I even did that makes me want to vomit, but I guess I let my… feelings… get the better of me.” She sighed. “I really like you too Peter, in case you haven’t noticed.” She laughed, a hollow laugh. “Probably longer than you have liked me.”  

Peter smiled and placed his hand in hers. “I kind of did. Flash being Flash helped too.” She grunted and mumbled something about him being an asshole. “I’m so stupid, MJ. If we both like each other, why did I have to go and ask out Cindy?”

“Because you value your best friend’s advice?”

Peter could feel his anger toward Ned cloud over his face. “Yeah, well that was a stupid thing to do.”

MJ leaned toward him, nudging his shoulder. “It was, and I may totally hold it against you.” Peter gave her a look of despair. “I’m just kidding,” she said. “I’m still a little mad at you though. What happened with Cindy anyway?”

“Well, she, uh, confessed her feelings for me, and when I didn’t return the same sentiment, she got mad and went off to dance with Flash.”

“Ouch, he’s gonna bring that up for a long time now,” MJ replied.

“Don’t I know it,” Peter grumbled. He felt MJ’s fingers intertwine with his, and his whole body was aching for her. It was a feeling he had never truly felt before and it made him hungry for her. He looked into her eyes, and saw they were staring at him, observing him, as MJ usually did. He wondered how long she was looking at him before he even ever noticed her. He gave her a small half smile. “So what do we do now?” he asked, his voice fading away as she placed her hands on either side of his face.

She slowly brought her lips toward his, and when they met, that ache in Peter’s body suddenly overcame him. He grabbed her waist fiercely, clutching her tightly as he returned her kiss, eager and willing. He heard her gasp a little at the intensity, which only seemed to fuel his desire more. She moved her arms around his neck and grabbed at the short curls that had formed from the humidity. “Peter,” she murmured between kisses, her own grip tightening.

It was everything he had never known he had wanted. Suddenly, his dark thoughts about his fight with Ned, Harry and the pills, and Cindy and Flash seemed to fade away deep into the back of his mind. MJ’s flushed face, her soft, caramel skin, and silky dark curls were all he could see in his mind. He felt her pulling on the back of his neck, pulling him on top of her. Peter pulled away and looked down at her, unsure whether he should proceed. However, MJ grabbed at the edges of his t-shirt, and pulled up, and he helped her lift the shirt off of him. He felt her soft hands grasp his bare chest, and she looked back up at him, biting her lip. “I hope you don’t think….” She trailed off.

Peter shook his head. “I don’t,” he whispered, leaning back over her to kiss her again. He slowly let his hands move up the length of her dress, wondering how much she would let him touch. It didn’t take long for him to figure out though, when she grabbed his hand and placed it on top of her breast. He pressed his hand against it, feeling it’s fullness underneath his palm, eager to feel it undressed. He kissed her again, and the naturalness of it overwhelmed him. He slipped his tongue between her lips, opening them up for a deeper kiss. Her fingers pressed against his back, her fingernails digging into his skin. Laying there with MJ, Peter felt as if all his responsibilities, all of his worries slowly drifted away. MJ sat up, just then, and reached around to the back of her dress. Peter’s eyes widened, realizing what she was trying to do.

“Stupid dress, now I know why I hate wearing these!” She grunted, as she tried to reach the zipper.

Peter reached around behind her. “Here, let me,” he started to tug on the zipper, and found it a little difficult. “Wow, that is not easy,” he commented. He looked at her and they both started laughing. MJ grabbed him and started kissing him again as they both laughed. For anyone else, it would have ruined the moment, but not for them. Peter kept kissing her as he tried to pull the zipper down. If he really wanted to, he could have gotten it down with his spider strength, but he needed to not let on that he was that strong. “I think you may have to get rid of this dress,” he said, tugging again.

“Good, I hate it anyway. It’s extremely limiting. I mean, I can pretty much just sit one way or else everyone will see my lady parts.” Peter finally managed to get the zipper down, cheering at his success. “Well, I’m impressed,” she said smirking at him. She then pulled the dress down, revealing a strapless black lace bra. “Do you want to try that too?” she asked. “I know bras scare boys.”

Peter just stared at it for a second. “Uh, I mean, um, d…d..do you want to, um…” While he may have kissed another girl before, seeing one naked, that was a different story.

MJ bit her lip again. “If you don’t want to, I mean, I know it’s kind of fast, and…”

Just then, the door to the bedroom swung open, and they both looked toward it.

“PEETERRR!” Ned shouted as he barreled into the room. “ARREE YOUU STILL HERE????” It took him a second to recognize them both laying on the bed. As soon as he did, he froze.

Peter quickly pushed MJ’s dress back up so she was covered and started for his t-shirt. “Ned, what are you doing, man?!” he exclaimed, slipping his t-shirt over his head. “Don’t you know you should knock first?”

Ned’s mouth had dropped open, his eyes wide with shock. “MJ? I thought you left?”

MJ zipped up her dress. “Surprise,” she said unenthusiastically.

Ned looked back at Peter. “What are you doing?” he looked dumbfounded and hurt.

Peter climbed off the bed and started toward him. “I was gonna leave, but, um, MJ was in here, and we kind of started talking, and…”

“But I thought you didn’t want to date MJ because it would ruin your friendship?” Ned interrupted.

“Well, that was what you suggested, and, um, I tried that out, and,” Peter got closer and noticed something off about him.  “Ned, are you okay?” He asked carefully. Since he was just coming off the high of being with MJ, he didn’t realize that his other sense, his spider sense, was going berserk.

“Guess you don’t really care about other people if MJ is around!” Ned shouted in anger, his fists clenched.

Peter was inches away from Ned when he noticed the tiny veins in Ned’s eyes; they had turned a sickly shade of green. “Ned, did you take one of Harry’s pills?” he asked nervously. He glanced over at his backpack, realizing that he needed to get the contents of it quickly if Ned decided to snap.

“So what if I did?! It’s not bad, I’m fine! The better question is why are you up here making out with MJ?!”

“Ned, we don’t need to talk about that right now okay? What we need to be doing is getting you home so you can sleep this… stuff… off.”

“I don’t need to sleep anything off! I’m fine!” Ned shouted, slamming the door behind him. He used so much force it shook the walls, and made MJ jump up off the bed in alarm.

“Whoa, Ned, have you been lifting or something?” MJ commented, her eyes glancing worriedly at Peter.

“Shut up MJ, stop making fun of me!”

“Ned,” Peter started.

“NO, don’t defend her. You just defend her because you want to get in her pants!” Ned pointed a finger accusingly at her. “Why did you let her start hanging out with us, huh? I knew you liked her, I’m not stupid!”

Peter inched toward his backpack. “Ned, this has nothing to do with MJ, okay? Can we just talk about this somewhere else?”

“NO! It does! You give me a bunch of shit about responsibility and not being able to have fun because Harry brought some _deadly_ drug, and now you’re up here screwing around with her! Don’t think I don’t know what’s going to happen either - You’re going to start dating her now and then you’re going to leave me out of everything!”

“Ned, that’s not true and you know it,” Peter said, shaking his head. He was so close.

“Deadly drug?” MJ said in a low voice. “Peter what the hell is he –“

“Yes it is! That’s what people do when they get girlfriends! Ugh, and why do you get to have a girlfriend anyway!” Ned continued shouting. “It’s not like you can be a good boyfriend, not when you have your _double life_.”

Peter stopped short. “Ned, you need to shut up right now,” he said warningly.

MJ looked at Peter and back at Ned. “Double life? Peter, what is he talking about?”

“Uh, I don’t know, I think he’s drunk and high,” Peter lied.

“Are you kidding me?! Come on Peter, if you’re going to date MJ, the least you could do is tell her your secret!”

“Ned, I’m serious, you need to shut up,” Peter snapped.

“What secret?” MJ asked and impatient tone in her voice.

“It’s nothing, MJ, okay,”

“No, MJ, it’s a _big deal_! You know that Stark internship?! It’s not real!” Ned started waving his arms around. “It’s all a lie! Peter’s lying to everyone!! Peter’s not working for Tony Stark, he’s working with him! As Spider-Man!”

An awkward silence filled the room. Peter’s heart was racing, his breathing hard. He looked over at MJ who just stared at him in disbelief. “Obviously, he’s lying,” Peter said after a beat.

“No, I’m not! Why don’t you show her what’s in your backpack, Pete? Show her!” Ned demanded.

“Ned, why don’t I take you home,” Peter said, trying to diffuse the situation. He made to grab Ned’s upper arm, and Ned moved, almost as fast as Peter could, his other fist raised and moving toward Peter quickly.

MJ shouted, “Peter watch out,” but Peter’s senses had kicked in, and he flipped up and backward, both his feet purposefully hitting Ned in the jaw. Ned stumbled his hands grasping his chin, his eyes widening in shocked. Peter landed his flip easily and in his fighting stance, crouched down and ready to fight. He glanced back at MJ whose mouth hung open, her eyes observing him with a new clarity. Peter returned to a normal standing position.

“Ned, when you’re not drunk and on this Oz stuff, I swear you are going to owe me big time,” Peter said, his eyes moving toward his bag once more.

Ned must have seen his eyes move in that direction because he made a grab for Peter’s bag. _Dammit_ , Peter thought, _this is why I need to keep my spare web shooters on me at all times_. Ned tore his backpack apart and out fell a pack of gum, a couple of spare pens, and the only thing that really mattered: his Spider-Man suit. Ned held it up as if he had just claimed a victory over Peter and it was his prize.

“See!?” Ned exclaimed.

MJ looked at the suit and then back at Peter. She didn’t look as upset as he expected her to be – no, she looked as if a new piece of a puzzle had finally fallen into place. “This explains so much,” she just said so matter of factly.

Peter glanced between the two of them. “Great, Ned, okay, you’ve revealed my secret to MJ. Can we now just get out of here, and…”

“Why? You don’t want to hang out with me anyway. You want to go fight crime or go screw MJ. You don’t want to actually spend time with me, your best friend,” Ned said.

“Ned, what are you even talking about man?” Peter was completely at a loss at Ned’s sudden insecurity about their friendship. Where did it come from? He wondered, and better question, how long did he feel that way? “Ned, seriously, this isn’t you talking, okay? It’s the drug, you just need to,”

“Stop trying to act like the hero!” Ned shouted, running at Peter. He swung his fists wildly, Peter skillfully blocking each fist. However, he couldn’t miss all of them, and one did connect with Peter’s gut making him double over.

“Peter!” MJ shouted unexpectedly, her voice filled with a strange worry he had never heard in her voice before.

The strike to his stomach hurt like hell, but mostly because Peter wasn’t ready for the force behind the punch. He fell to his knees, doubled over with the pain. However, for all of Ned’s strength and agility, he still didn’t have the one thing Peter had - and as Ned’s fist came down to hit Peter on top of the head, a deadly blow to be sure, Peter’s left hand went up and caught Ned’s fist, stopping it in his tracks. Peter slowly stood, using the force against Ned’s fist to help him stand. He gripped Ned’s fist tightly. “Ned, I’m sorry for what I’m about to do,” he said, slowly, his other fist ready to get Ned right in the face.

And then he heard a hissing sound and felt MJ’s presence beside him. Peter managed to turn his face just in time as MJ sprayed a heavy dose of mace into Ned’s eyes. Peter released Ned’s fist and he fell to the ground, screaming in agony as the mace stung his eyes, making them turn red and water. Peter looked over at MJ with a surprised and appreciative look. “Wow,” he managed to say after a second. He realized she had her purse in her other hand, the mace bottle still aimed at Ned.

Ned writhed around on the floor, calling MJ all manner of dirty and mean names for women, which made Peter cringed - because he knew that the next day Ned was going to have to apologize to her. “There’s more where that came from Ned Leeds!” she shouted.

Peter grabbed her hand, stopping her from trying to spray him again. “He’s down. I’ll take it from here,” he said, gently, lowering her hand. He then grabbed his suit, which Ned had thrown aside, and pulled his web shooters off. “Okay, Ned. First, let’s make sure you stay down,” he put the web shooters on and released several long strands of webbing that wrapped tightly around Ned’s torso and arms, hogtying him on the spot. Ned struggled against his new bondage.

“I know these dissolve in two hours, Peter, you’re gonna regret this!”

Peter sighed. “No, I’m not.” He picked up the lamp on nightstand by the bed and brought it down on Ned’s head, knocking him out. Ned fell to the floor, unconscious. “Okay, so when he wakes up, the drug should have run its course, and all he’ll have is one major headache, from me knocking him out and from that shitty punch he was drinking.” He set the lamp down and looked at Michelle, realizing quickly that she just found out his secret. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “Right, so,” he glanced at his web shooters on his wrists, and then his suit. “So we are probably going to need to talk about this…” He trailed off as he heard a cacophony of noise drowning out the music playing downstairs. Screams and shouts soon followed. “Man, come on Harry, really?” he groaned, realizing what those sounds meant.

“What’s happening?” Michelle asked, her eyes still trained on him.

“The Oz, drug, that Ned took, Harry had a bunch of pills, and I think he gave them to some other people too.”

“So right now there’s a bunch of guys downstairs whose machismo has been dialed to 11? Oh, yeah, that sounds excellent,” Michelle said sarcastically. Peter grabbed his suit and started undressing. “Whoa! What are you doing?!”

Peter slipped into his suit and pressed the button in the middle to tighten it around his shape. “I gotta stop them,” he said. “Call the police, tell them about a noise disturbance or something. Keep an eye on Ned while I’m gone, and use that mace in case he wakes up – which he won’t! – and stay here until I get back.”

“What! You expect me to stay here with Ned? What are you gonna do knock everyone out down there?”

“Depending on how many of them actually took the pill, yeah,” Peter replied, slipping his mask on. “Stay here!” he shouted as he opened the door and shot out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

He creeped along the hallway, his ear trained on the chaos unfolding downstairs. He could hear a few girls yelling about ruining the party, and then the sound of a body crashing into what Peter could only assume was a shelf because the next sounds he heard were the clash and clangs of now broken ceramic figurines and other larger knick-knacks.

“Hey Karen,” Peter called to his AI.

“Sounds like trouble down there,” she commented in her usual, unattached voice.

“You can say that again,” Peter replied, as he latched onto the wall and started scaling up it and onto the ceiling to survey the scene.

“Sounds like,”

“No, Karen! That was just, sorry, you don’t have to repeat yourself,” he said quickly. “Karen, scan the people down there and look for elevated heart rates and adrenaline levels.”

“Certainly.” She scanned the bodies his classmates and their friends, and six of them were suddenly targeted in his suit system, one of them being Flash.

“Well, this certainly has a certain ironic flair to it, doesn’t it Karen?” He said with an impish grin.

“I’m not sure what you mean?”

“Oh, well because, oh just forget it,” he sprayed his webbing onto the chandelier that hung from the high ceiling in the main foyer area and swung down, knocking one of the targeted individuals in the chest with his feet. The tall, robust, curly-haired boy flew back into the crowd of kids that had gathered around the six boys who were fighting. Peter hit the boy with a taser-web, his limbs jolting from the shock before he passed out.

The crowd of high school students came to a near standstill, and Peter could hear them whispering his alter ego’s name. It was almost eerily quiet, such a stark contrast to the discord a few seconds ago.   “Okay everyone!” Peter shouted. “Hate to break up the party, but the cops are on their way!”

Peter started to bend to check the kid’s pulse to make sure he was okay, when he sensed something large coming for his head. He ducked low, a marble bust of an owl flying over his head and crashing in between a crowd of kids that had formed near the unconscious curly-haired boy. Peter’s head whipped around, and he saw Flash glaring at him, his fists balled up, his eyes bright with rage. A few of his other friends were behind him, all in similar stances. Their shirts were torn and a couple of them had bloodied lips and bruises that were starting to form on their faces.

“What are you doing here!” Flash exclaimed.

“Oh, you know, just can’t pass up a good party,” Peter quipped.  “But I heard you guys were partying a little too hard,” He nudged the curly-haired boy with his foot. “That’s some powerful stuff, where’d you get it?”

Flash’s eyes quickly glanced over at Harry, who Peter suddenly noticed standing off to the side, his face white as a sheet. Peter realized he hadn’t taken the drug, and clearly didn’t realize what it entailed.

Peter walked over to Harry and held out his hand. “Give me the rest of it,” he said, staring hard at Harry. Harry’s eyes shifted over Peter’s body, and Peter had a fleeting, yet scary thought that Harry had recognized him, but Harry’s quick change in a defiant look struck the thought out of Peter’s mind.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry said.

“Yes you do, and you know it’s dangerous and stupid. So give me the rest of it before someone else gets hurt.”

“The only person who’s gonna get hurt is you if you don’t leave right now!” Flash shouted trying to insert himself back into the conversation.

Peter ignored him and kept his masked face on Harry. “Come on, man. Look at this – look at what it’s done. And if you give it to me now, the cops won’t find it on you.”

Harry’s hand seemed to mindlessly insert itself into his pocket and pull out a bag that held the little green pills. “If I get in trouble again…”

“No! Who said you get to be the only strong one!” Flash whined. “Don’t give them to him Harry.”

Harry looked at Peter and back at Flash, a now hesitant look on his face. Peter rolled his eyes, which Harry couldn’t see. “Okay, fine, let’s do this the hard way.”

With his quick reflexes, he made a grab for the bag in Harry’s hand, which made him jump back, but not before Peter was able to get the bag. He then threw it on the floor and smashed the pills with his foot.

The act elicited cries of anger from some of the guys who were already high on the drug. “You’ll all thank me later, trust me!” Peter shouted. One of Flash’s friends made a run for him and Peter shrugged. “Or, maybe you won’t.” He shot out a web, connecting it to the ceiling and used it to pull himself up quickly, wrapping his legs around the guys’ head. He held his head tight between his thighs as he swung him around and released him, flying into the air and landing hard against the ground. “Guys I really don’t want to hurt any of you….”

But they didn’t listen. Flash and his friends started in on Peter and he readied himself for the attack. They all came at once, fists swinging, putting their full bodies into their punches. Peter ducked and dodged, but one blow did hit him in the side, which made him stumble. “Jeez, you guys are bigger dicks on this stuff than you are off,  I didn’t even think that was possible,” he grunted, as he sprayed a web grenade at one of them, watching it explode and trap the boy with a thin frame and buzz cut underneath his powerful webbing. A short soft-looking boy came at him with a lamp, which Peter blocked with his forearm, using his other arm to shoot out a web that latched itself around the boy’s ankles and tripped him. Peter tied up his hands as well. “All right, Jackson, right? Stay put now.”

He managed to trap a few others in his webbing before he turned his attention to Flash. Flash was holding a sleek black katana sword. Peter smirked. “Seriously? Who do you think you are, Beatrix Kiddo? Where did you get that anyway? You know, I don’t want to know, judging by your parents’ strange taste in décor, it honestly doesn’t even surprise me.”

“You stole my dad’s car last year, Spider-Man,” Flash said, his voice low. “You crashed it and got me grounded for three months! I’ve been hoping to make you pay for a long time!”

“You may have to wait a little bit longer,” Peter replied nonchalantly, calmly waiting for Flash to start thrashing the sword about at him.

And he did, with an obvious lack of skill. Peter avoided the swings, ducking and then coming back up with an upper cut to Flash’s chin. It knocked Flash out cold, his body splayed on the ground, the katana clattering to the floor. “I'm not even going to lie, that was immensely satisfying.”

“ALL RIGHT EVERYONE! THIS PARTY IS OVER!”

Peter spun around and saw several cops make their way into the house through the front door. All the kids who were watching the fight broke out of their reverie and started scrambling in every direction, trying to escape the cops. Peter knew he needed to get upstairs to MJ and Ned, but saw Harry just standing there, still in shock over everything. He raced over to him and grabbed his hand. “Harry, you need to get out of here now!” He shouted at him.

Harry looked at Peter as if he had recognized him in that instant. However, that look was quickly replaced with fear. “If they catch me, my dad is going to murder me. You have to help me!”

Peter grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back door. “Come on.” They ran out into Flash’s yard, which was covered with kids trying to flee the cops. Peter shot a web up to one of the trees. “take this and climb.”

Harry nodded and wrapped the web around his waist. “Thanks man, I know you don’t know me or owe me anything, so I really appreciate it.”

Peter nodded. “Sure, just don’t go around giving those drugs out again, okay? Someone could have gotten killed.”

Harry looked away, embarrassed. “Yeah, I don’t need any more of that on my conscious.”

Peter could hear the police making their way to the backyard. “Go now!” he shouted, and Harry started climbing the web up the tree.

Peter then ran to the side of the house and started scaling it until he got to the master bedroom window. He knocked on it, and it slid open quickly. MJ poked her head out and glared at him. “What the hell are you doing out there!? The cops are here!”

Peter nodded. “I know.” He slipped inside and checked to make sure Ned was still unconscious and still breathing. “Okay, grab my backpack, and,” he looked out the window, shot out a web that attached itself to the bottom of a light      pole on the opposite side of the street. “Okay, you ever see those ziplines before?”

MJ just gave him a look as if asking, ‘are you kidding me?’

“I know, not the safest idea, but the best way to get you out of here. Use my backpack.”

“What about you and Ned?”

“I got that covered.”

MJ climbed onto the window ledge, and swung the backpack over the webbing. “When we get back to your aunt’s apartment…”

“Yep, full explanation promise,” Peter replied.

“Damn right,” she muttered, taking a deep breath and pushing herself off the ledge, ziplining down to the street with his backpack.

Peter grabbed Ned by the midsection and lifted him up over his shoulder. “You are so going to owe me,” he repeated, before jumping down toward the large hedges against the house.


	12. I Think We're Alone Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up! Caution, if you don't like awkward teen sex scenes turn back now! :P
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos and bookmarks guys! I appreciate it!!!

The trek back to Peter’s apartment was long and arduous – mainly because Peter and MJ both had to shoulder an unconscious Ned back. Peter wanted to just carry Ned himself, or better yet create a web sling he could lay Ned in and swing him back, but MJ said it would be to conspicuous, and so Peter changed back into his regular clothes and pretended to be a normal teenage kid, dragging his drunk friend back from a party.

MJ was quiet for the journey. Peter would glance over at her every once in a while, to try and catch her facial expressions – but every time he did, the only expression he caught was one of straining from trying to hold Ned up on her end. They did not have any time to talk about his secret, and Peter was dreading the conversation almost as much as he had with his Aunt when she had caught him putting on his suit a year ago. Peter was a little surprised she hadn’t already known. She was always so observant of him, even before the two of them started spending so much time together. He wondered what she really thought was going on with him the last two years. He wanted to ask, but when he looked over once more, he could see bead of sweat dripping from her hairline, and could hear her muttering something about killing Ned when he woke up. So, Peter decided to wait until they were back at the apartment to say anything.

“All right, home sweet home,” Peter joked as he pushed the apartment door open with one hand and pulling Ned in with the other. Thankfully, the couch was only a few feet away, and once they were inside, Peter took over most of the weight and nearly lifted Ned up off the ground before setting him down on the couch. The couch creaked at the sudden weight, but eventually evened out. Peter crouched down and grabbed Ned’s wrist, feeling for his pulse. “Well, it’s not irregular or anything so he should be good. I’ll just grab some water and crackers to put over here in case he wakes up.” He stood up and looked at MJ.

She had her arms crossed over her chest, her curls falling into her eyes. She looked tired and frustrated. “Can I take a shower?” she asked him suddenly, blowing one of her curls out of her eyes. “And clothes. I cannot stand to be in this stupid dress any longer.”

Peter was surprised by her question, and tried to push out the image of MJ naked in his shower. “Uh, yeah, sure! Here let me just…” he skated around her and into his room to grab something else for her to wear. He rummaged through his clean clothes drawers and came up with a pair of flannel pajama pants, and a Midtown High t-shirt. He turned around to go back out of his room and give it to her but found her already standing in the doorway. “Oh! Um, here you go!” he exclaimed, shoving the clothes into her hands. “The shower is down the hall to the left. If you prefer, there’s one in my aunt’s room too… it has all of the girly stuff in it.”

Michelle smirked. “Thanks.” She turned and walked toward the bathroom.

Peter couldn’t help but watch to see which one she chose. She chose his. _Dammit, I hope it’s clean_ , he thought, trying to remember the last time Aunt May had yelled at him and forced him to clean the bathroom. Was it last week? Two weeks ago? Two months ago? He couldn’t remember, but hoped she wouldn’t judge him too hard over it. He busied himself with making sure Ned was comfortable, grabbing some water and crackers, as well as a blanket. He watched his friend sleep, so peacefully and almost ignorantly, as if he had no idea of what he had just done prior, no clue as to the secret he told, the craziness that had unfolded between them. Peter knew that once he woke up, they would have to talk. There was no getting around it, no matter how much either hated the thought of talking to each other about their feelings.

Once Ned was taken care of, Peter went back to his room, to change out of his own clothes and put on his own pajamas and try to make his room look a little bit cleaner. He rushed around the small space, shuffling papers into neat piles, throwing clothes that was half inside-out into his closet before shutting the door firmly. _Maybe I should have had more girls over before, then Aunt May wouldn’t have had to always get on me about a clean room_ , he mused, as he picked up some odds and ends of some old VCR and threw them on top of the pile of junk tech in the very left corner of his room. He started to try and make the bed, but he heard someone clearing her throat behind him.

“No need to clean up on my account,” Michelle said as she slowly entered his room, closing the door behind her. Peter’s clothes hung off her slender frame, although the pants looked slightly too short for her – a reminder of how short he was. Regardless, there was something sexy about seeing her in his clothes. He had always thought that idea was stupid, it’s boy clothes after all, his clothes. He certainly didn’t think he looked sexy in a pair of flannel sleep pants. However, on her, it was like she was wearing the skimpiest bikini. Peter quickly sat down on the bed and grabbed one of his pillows to hide how he felt. She walked over to his computer slowly, her eyes catching his desktop background. “I remember that day,” she commented lightly, addressing the picture that Tony had remarked on earlier. “This is why I never wanted to do yearbook. They are a bunch of creep paparazzi. Give me the newspaper any day.” She seemed to be dawdling for a moment, hesitating. Peter knew why. He was hesitant too.

“So, um… I’m,”

“Spider-Man,” she finished for him.

“Yeah,” Peter said slowly. “I didn’t, uh, want you to find out, um, that way…”

“Did you want me to find out at all?” She turned her attention back onto him, her eyes observing him, always observing him.

Peter looked down at the pillow in his lap, ashamed. “No, not really,” He could hear her scoff, “but that’s because I really didn’t want anyone to know! I mean, Ned only found out on accident, just like my Aunt, and Tony, well, I mean, he’s Iron Man right? He can find out anything when he has spies and superheroes working for him.” He could sense her coming closer without looking up. “The fewer people who know, the better, right? It’s dangerous, and I don’t want people I love getting hurt.”

“Then shouldn’t we know? Assuming I’m one of those people, of course,” she said, her tone suggesting she was fishing for something.

“You are!” Peter said quickly, looking at her again. She was standing over him. “But if you knew, then it would make you vulnerable. People might try to get to you to get to me. I don’t know if I could handle that.”

Michelle sat down next to him, and she laid one of her hands on his, curling her fingers around his palm. “I thought you were depressed or something after your uncle died,” she said softly, her fingers intertwining with his. “I thought that was why you quit everything, why you suddenly started to flake out on everyone. I thought you mentally couldn’t handle it.” She shook her head. “I actually did briefly think ‘what if he has some secret identity? What if he’s like some superhero like that Spider-Man guy?’ But then I thought, ‘if he was one, he’s doing a terrible job at hiding it. It felt too obvious.”  

Peter’s face reddened. “I don’t think it’s too obvious…”

“It is. But most people are oblivious, so you’re safe.” Then after a beat she asked, “So, I don’t understand. Were you born this way? Did you fall into some toxic waste and it turned you into an arachnid? How spider-like are you? Should I be worried because we kissed… is it something I can get?”

Peter started laughing. He didn’t mean to, but with everything that had happened earlier in the evening, mixed with her weird questions and his exhaustion, he just started laughing, belly laughs that made him fall back onto the bed, holding his stomach.

“Hey, it’s not funny!” Michelle exclaimed, turning to glare at him.

“No, I know, it’s just… it’s been a long night,” he said as his laughter died down. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything, but let me first say, No, I was not born this way, and no you won’t turn into a spider because we kissed.”

Michelle repositioned herself on her side, propping her upper body up with her elbow, facing Peter. He started from the beginning, telling her the story of the spider that bit him at the New York City Science Museum during their field trip during their freshmen year. He told her about fighting the Avengers with the Avengers, and about Liz’s dad and his illegal weapons empire. He told her about Tony and his mentorship, about how angry Aunt May was when she found out, and finally about the Goblin, Mac Gargan’s new scorpion suit, and the drugs. She listened intently, never interrupting him to ask questions, and if she thought any part of his story was strange or untrue, her face never betrayed her. She remained still and silent, her eyes fixed on him.

When he finished his story, they both remained silent for a few seconds, both taking in his story. Then Michelle scrunched up her nose and said, “Well at least you don’t turn into a green rage monster.”

Peter grinned. “Yeah, that would definitely make life a lot more complicated…. So you’re not weirded out by all of it?”

Michelle snorted and said sarcastically, “You’re asking me if I’m weirded out by the fact that one of my best friends, and the guy I like, has spider-like super powers because he got by a spider bite? And he has archenemies, and Tony Stark is his superhero mentor? No, yeah, I’m not weirded out by that at all.” She shook her head and stretched herself out alongside of him. “Are you scared at all?”

“Scared?”

“Yeah, I mean, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like Liz’s dad could have killed you. And that scorpion guy, and this Goblin guy doesn’t sound so great either.”

“Yeah, it is scary,” Peter replied, turning his head to look at her. “But I can’t sit around and do nothing with these powers you know?”

She nodded. “I know. Power and responsibility. Kind of like the Avengers. Plus, it’s not like you can go try out for the football team now. Man, Flash would be ragging on you so hard if you tried.”

“Yeah,” Peter said. “Not that I want to play football, not really my thing. I don’t think I’d know the difference between a foul ball or off sides.”

“Well first, they aren’t even close to being the same thing, and second of all, one of them is a baseball term,” Michelle retorted, smirking. “So, yeah, stick to the superhero stuff; it’s way more up your alley.” Something caught her eye above his bed. “Is that my picture I drew of you and me?” she asked, reaching for the paper taped up on the bottom of the top bunk.

Peter grabbed her hand. “Don’t… Don’t take it down,” he said, pulling her hand back. “I like it…. Uh, there.”

Michelle grinned. “And people think that I’m obsessed with you,” she joked. “Which I’m not, by the way. You’ve just always been really interesting to me, I guess… and now I realize why.  Because you’re some kind of superhero.”

The way she looked at him just then made Peter’s throat start to seemingly swell up and go dry because he realized two things instantly: he was holding her wrist and he was nearly on top of her… on his own bed. She must have realized it too because she suddenly shifted, so that she was completely on her back, staring up at him. Scenes from Flash’s parents’ bedroom earlier that night ran through Peter’s mind, and he wondered if that was what Michelle was thinking about too. He tried to clear his throat, but it came out more like a squeak. “Um… so back at Flash’s house,” he started, his voice hoarse from the dryness. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a deep kiss. It electrified his body, making his heartbeat quicken, and his limbs take on a mind of their own. He maneuvered himself on top of her, not even caring that she could probably feel how excited he was in that moment. She grinded against him, the friction making him harder.

_Don’t be nervous Peter, don’t be nervous. It’s just MJ. It’s just MJ, and you two are probably going to have sex. Maybe, don’t think about it too hard. Oh man, what if I suck!? What if I only last like one second? Do I have to try and get her off? Man, if I was doing this as Spider-Man would I not be as scared? Girls like Spider-Man, girls don’t usually like Peter Parker._  He shook his head trying to shove out all of his worrisome thoughts. Michelle narrowed her eyes at him.

“Are you okay?” she asked him, grabbing onto his biceps to stop him for a second and look into his eyes.

“Me? Oh no, yeah, you know, I’m great. It’s just no one is here. I mean Ned is, but he’s sleeping, so he can’t come in, and…. You sure this is okay?”

Michelle took a deep breath. “It’s good, Peter, but you gotta calm down because you’re making me really nervous too.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “What? No, you’re really, sexy, and a really good kisser,” He said reassuringly. “I’m sorry, I’ll try not to…” He never imagined that Michelle would be nervous too. She always seemed so confident and so much more mature than he was. “So, um, do you want to keep,”

“Yes,” she said firmly.

He started tugging at the waist of her pants, and she lifted her torso up so he could pull them off, bringing his lips to hers once more. Michelle’s hands moved to his, helping him pull her pants off, leaving her lower half clothed only in a simple black thong, what she was wearing under her dress before. Peter glanced down at it, and let out a long breath.

“Don’t get used to it, it’s not something I usually wear,” she commented, her usual smirk appearing on her face as she pulled her t-shirt off. Peter then realized she wasn’t wearing her bra under the shirt. He didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed it before, other than it was so big on her that maybe it just concealed that. He admired her small, yet full breasts, even more perfect than he had imagined.

“Tha…that’s okay…” Peter trailed off as she sat up and pulled his shirt over his head. Her hands then went for his pants, and she pulled them down to his knees, and his erection nearly poked her in the face. “You know, I think I have some uh…” he quickly clamored over to his nightstand where he had a hidden stash of condoms, a present from Aunt May when he turned 16. ‘Not that I want you to go out and start having sex,’ she had said, ‘but just in case.’ Peter pulled one out of the box and crawled back over to her. She was propped up on her elbows, her long, sleek toffee-colored legs propped up at an angle, making her look even sexier to him than he thought was possible.

“You know how to use one of those things?”

“Yeah, sure, we practiced in health class last year, right?” Peter said, laughing nervously. “How hard could it be?” He scrambled back over to her, and climbed back on top of her. He realized that Michelle was going to see him completely naked for the first time. It was scarier to him than fighting Mac Gargan again. He hoped she wouldn’t laugh at him. _Oh, please, MJ, don’t laugh_. He pulled his boxers down as she grabbed the edges of her thong and pulled it off. He waited for her to start laughing, but it didn’t come. Instead, she spread her legs, and wrapped her arms around his neck, as Peter took a deep breath and guided himself inside her.

A warmness filled him instantly, as he fit inside her tightly. She let out a small cry, which startled him. “Are you okay?” he asked her, looking down into her eyes. She was biting her lip in pain, but nodded.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, “Keep going.”

Peter continued pushing himself inside her, the pressure already starting to build quickly. He was breathing hard as he pulled out slightly and thrusted himself back inside of her, and he felt Michelle’s hands tightening around his neck, as her hips started to rock with his. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him further into her, the new depth making Peter start to shake from the increasing pleasure that had enveloped his body. He looked down at her, her eyes large and dark, staring up at him with a craving he had never known before. He could feel himself hitting his peak and he moaned, grabbing the sheets on either side of her head as he came. He had masturbated before and climaxed, but it never felt like that. It was never that intense. He pulled out of her and collapsed next to her, wiping the beads of sweat that had formed along his hairline.

“Wow,” he breathed, taking in deep breaths as he tried to slow down his heartbeat, which was pattering loudly in his head. He looked over at Michelle who turned her head to look at him. They didn’t say anything to each other in that moment, they just gazed at one another, letting what they did sink in slowly. “That was way better than fighting bad guys,” Peter said after the moment had passed.

Michelle burst out laughing, and he couldn’t help but start laughing too. After it died down, Peter sat up and grabbed a tissue from the side of his bed, cleaning himself off. “So, do you want like a snack or anything before bed? Because ever since I got these powers, I get super hungry sometimes, and after… everything… I could eat a horse right now.”

Michelle was pulling his shirt back over her head. “I thought boys eat all the time anyway. How much do you consume now that you’re half-spider?”

“I’m not,”

“I know,” she held her up hand. “Just kidding. Does your Aunt keep any popcorn? I could really go for some popcorn right now.”

Peter grinned. “Yeah! I can get that. I’ll be right back.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Is it your mission in life to ruin me?!”

Harry dodged the empty bottle of an 1885 bottle of cognac that flew at him at lightning speed. He slowly stepped back into the doorway of his father’s study, tensing up, expecting another object to be thrown.

The shadowed figure of his father was hunched over in an overstuffed black leather chair, only illuminated by a solitary brass table lamp on his desk. Harry could see his shoulders slowly moving up and down as he took deep breaths to calm himself.

“I’m sorry, Dad, I had no idea what those pills did…”

“So you thought you’d, what, steal them from me and try them out?” He looked up from his twiddling hands, his eyes somehow glowing a phosphorescent green in the near darkness.

They made Harry shrink back in fear. _What are you thinking? It’s probably just the way the light is bouncing off of them_ , he thought, trying to rationalize his father’s strange appearance.  Every time Harry had seen him over the past few weeks, there seemed to be something off-putting about his appearance. Sunken eyes, strange green veins that covered his skin like vines on a tree. And now his eyes. Harry knew his father was a drinker, but he had never seemed like the type to do drugs. Harry had a fleeting thought that he was taking the pills that Harry had stolen from his lab. He had seemed to display a different strength level than normal, and his moods were becoming increasingly common.

“Come on Dad, what did you expect? You know me, I love getting in trouble,” Harry said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but also fear. He wasn’t sure how far he should push him.

“Do you have any idea what could happen to me, to my company, if the cops had gotten a hold of those pills?”

“Jeez, Dad, I didn’t know, okay, I’m sorry,” Harry wanted nothing more than to run to his room and lock himself there. He thought his father would still be at his office, since it was common for him to be out late into the evening. So he was shocked to find his father sitting there waiting for him. “How…how did you find out?” Harry asked warily. His father

“You think I’m oblivious? You seriously underestimate me, _Son_. Where is the rest of it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you took more than what was taken, so where is the REST OF IT!”

“Um, Spider-Man smashed it all,” he said in a low voice.

Norman’s eyes flashed. “Spider-Man? Spider-Man was there? He knows about the pills?”

“Yeah, I guess so… But Dad, if it wasn’t for him, I’d be in jail right now! He helped me get out of there…”

“Do you think I care about that!?” Norman shot out of his chair and stormed over to Harry, who started backing away, holding his hands defensively out in front of him. They didn’t stop Norman, thought, who slapped them aside with his left hand, while his right hand clamped around Harry’s throat. He lifted him up into the air, almost three feet off the ground.

“D…d….d…dad,” Harry choked out, his fingers grasping at his father’s hand, trying to free himself.

“I don’t care about what happens to you, you ungrateful little brat! You had Spider-Man right there, and you let him get away!” He squeezed tighter, Harry’s throat struggling to take in air.

“P…please, d…dad…. S…s…stop,” Harry gasped.

“I asked you to do one thing! Find out information about Tony Stark and this Spider-Man! One thing, and I’d give you your freedom, and all you want to do is party and get high! You’re useless!” He wheeled back his left fist and threw it forward, hitting Harry hard on his right cheek. He then released Harry and he fell to the floor, his hands cradling his injured face. The pain from his father’s grip and the now bruising cheek nearly paralyzed him. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. “Don’t ever go through my things again,” Norman said, crouching down low, his lips nearly touching Harry’s ear. “This Spider-Man could ruin everything for me, Harry, do you understand?”

“Yes,” Harry said in a defeated tone, wincing at the closeness of Norman’s body to his. Norman leaned into him, his hand grabbing one of Harry’s, forcing his body to turn toward him, so that Harry was looking directly at his father.

Harry realized that it was not a trick of the light, but that his father’s eyes were really glowing. It wasn’t very bright, but strong enough for him to notice. His face was dark red, large green veins bulging out of his neck as he stared down at Harry with

“Do what I asked. Find out who he is, find out who Tony hired, and this will all stop. That’s what I’ve been asking from the beginning.” He stood up and brushed off his khakis. “I’m going to bed, good night son.”

Harry watched through his fingers as Norman casually walked out of the study and up the stairs to his room. He moved his hands to his neck, rubbing the tender skin. _How the hell did he get that strong?_ Harry thought. _Is he really taking those pills? What else are they doing to him?_

“Young Mr. Osborne, are you all right?”

Harry looked up and saw his father’s butler, Andrew, swiftly making his way into the room. He crouched down beside Harry and examined his neck and cheek.

“I’m fine, Andrew, Dad’s just a little drunk tonight,” he replied, gesturing to the shattered bottle of brandy Norman had thrown at him earlier.

Andrew’s eyes narrowed with concern. “Harry,” he said softly, his tone changing. “I’m sorry he did this to you.” He rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder, and the gesture made Harry tear up. While his father had always been distant and cruel, Andrew had been warm and kind. He knew that Andrew was the one who remembered his birthday, who made sure he was taken care of as a small child. His fondest memories always involved the sixty-year-old man. When Harry was younger, he had watched a lot of James Bond and was convinced that Andrew was some sort of secret gentleman spy. He made up a story for him too; that he was tasked to take care of the son of a billionaire and to take him away when he turned eighteen to become a spy like he was. It was a childish fantasy, to be sure, one that Harry forgot about until now.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about Andrew, I was careless. I shouldn’t have stolen his stuff. And I definitely shouldn’t have given it to a bunch of Einstein-level teenagers.” Andrew slowly helped him to his feet. “I need to find out who that Spider-Man guy is Andrew. It’s the only way I’m going to be free of all of this.”

Andrew placed both his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “Be careful, Harry. Whatever game your father has you involved in is clearly a dangerous one; to be against a man trying to do good in this city does not bode well for him.”

Harry shrugged him off. “Andrew, I only need to look out for myself. I don’t have time to be worrying about everyone else. If I don’t find out his identity, don’t you think this,” he pointed to his eye, “will be nice compared to what he will do to me if I continue to fail?!”

“Harry, if you let me, I can,”

“No,” Harry cut him off, “I don’t want your help. I can do this on my own.” He gave Andrew a curt nod and went up to his bedroom, his mind starting to turn on how he could speed up his interrogation process and find out who Spider-Man was.


	13. Brand New Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter is up! Pretty much a filler chapter, with some fluff and some hearts-to-hearts. Enjoy!

As a sliver of daylight crept into his room, Peter slowly began to wake. He tried to force his eyelids open, not ready to quite come out of his unencumbered sleep. It had been a long time since he had slept so heavily, that his body wasn’t quite used to it. He groaned, starting to stretch out his limbs, when he realized that his left leg was trapped underneath something. Panic built up quickly, and he sat up fast to see what he was trapped under. He heard a grunt as Michelle’s head fell off his chest and landed on the bed. She started to move, her leg, which was the culprit that had trapped his own, moving off of his. Suddenly, Peter could move his leg again.

“Mmm what the hell Peter,” she moaned as she turned her self over onto her back to glare up at him through a small slit in her eyelids.

“Sorry,” Peter said anxiously. “I didn’t realize….” He trailed off. What didn’t he realize? That Michelle was in the bed with him? He should have, he remembered them falling asleep together. That she was the kind of person who slept all over you? Well, he didn’t know that until this morning. He shot her an apologetic look. He laid back down and she nuzzled into him, her lips lightly kissing his shoulder.

“Sorry I was all over you, you’re just really warm,” she said, slipping her arm over top of his bare chest.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, it’s a thing now,” he replied, his left hand caressing her arm mindlessly. “Is it supposed to be weird sleeping with someone else? Because it felt really normal.”

Michelle shrugged. “I don’t know, it didn’t feel weird to me. Maybe because it’s you, and it’s us.” She raised her head and frowned at him. “Was that really corny?”

Peter raised his head to meet her lips. He gave her a quick kiss. “No, I like it actually. Makes sense to me.” He could already feel his hunger for her creeping up into his body, a dull ache that was slowly growing the more awake he became. He remembered how excited he was to leave school every day to go be Spider-Man; this was a different type of excitement, and it was just as addicting. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel… different,” she said. “A good different.”

“So, are we dating now?” Peter asked her.

“Well, we like each other, we lost our virginity to each other, and, I know your deepest, darkest secret,”

“Oh, no, that’s definitely not my darkest secret,” Peter said with a small laugh. Michelle raised an eyebrow at his comment, “Just kidding! I’m not some psycho I promise.”

“Okay….” She faked leaning away from him in fear.

“Oh come on! I’m not!” He exclaimed trying to reassure her. She laughed.

“Yeah, I know. The darkest thing about you is probably your hero complex,” she replied.

“Hero complex?!”

“You heard me,” She was smirking at him. “It’s okay, I think we all suffer from it a little bit. Not all of us get bitten by some radioactive spider though that gives us the ability to be a hero.” 

“Whatever, but back to my original question,”

“Oh yeah, well, hey you’re the one that interrupted me!”

“I did, I’m sorry. So, do you want to go out with me? I mean spidey-senses and all?”

Michelle pretended to be thinking, rubbing her chin in mock introspection. “Hmm, this is a very hard decision to make Peter. Does dating you involve role-playing in that suit of yours?”

Peter reeled back, shocked. “Is that something you want to do!?”

Michelle looked at him seriously for a moment before cracking a smile. “Oh God no, that’s really weird.” Peter breathed a sigh of relief. “But I will go out with you. I like being with you, and I think you look really cute when your hair gets all curly from the humidity,” she ran her hand through his head, the motion sending electric chills down his back. “How do you think Ned will take it?”

The mention of his best friend sent a settling realization to Peter quickly. “I don’t know, but I’m not going to not date you because Ned doesn’t like it.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m not happy about that,” she started drawing imaginary lines and circles on his chest. “Sorry I brought him up.”

“It’s okay, as soon as we get up, I’m going to have to deal with him anyway. I just…. I didn’t know he was so jealous and insecure. Or maybe I did, but I just ignored it?”

Michelle’s hand grabbed his and she pulled it toward her, guiding it under the hem of the pajama pants she was wearing. “I don’t know, but I do know that we have a few minutes before we have to go find out…”

Peter realized he had been holding his breath and let it out slowly through his teeth. “Y…y…yeah, plenty of time,” he stammered as she maneuvered his fingers in between her legs, her hand stopping his where it was warm and soft. She started moving his fingers in a circular direction, letting out a ‘mmm’ as she did, her eyelids going heavy. Peter followed her lead, pressing his lips against hers, slipping his tongue deep into her mouth, wanting to taste every inch of it. Ecstasy, that was a word he had once heard used to describe the feeling of being with someone so intimately, and he had to add all-consuming. In that moment, nothing else mattered, all Peter could think about, all he wanted to think about was her. Her moans started becoming more distinct as Peter took over his own hand’s motions. He tried to be firm, yet tender as he pressed against her center, at the same time pressing his growing member against her thigh.

Peter was about to reposition himself on top of her, when the door to his room suddenly opened.

“Peter, why is Ned passed out on my – OH MY GOD!”

The warm feeling running through his body ran cold instantly. Peter grabbed the covers and threw them over him and Michelle quickly, and she scrambled to sit up.

Peter pulled the covers up to his chin and turned to look at his aunt, who was standing in the doorway, covering her now pink face with her hands. “O…o…oh, hey May, um good morning.”

“Peter, I am so sorry, I had no idea… Oh my God, I’m so embarrassed. You’re a teenage boy, I should know better, privacy, shit, what was I thinking,”

Peter could tell she was beyond embarrassed because she was rambling. “Aunt May, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Peter said quickly, trying to put his pajama pants on from underneath his covers. Once they were on, he stood up out of bed. “Um, you remember MJ right?”

May finally looked up, but she still didn’t quite look at him or Michelle. “Yes, yes, hello MJ, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t expecting Peter to have a girl in his bedroom. It’s not really something he’s known for you know,”

“Okay May, thanks for that,” Peter chimed in.

“So you’ll have to excuse me, I’m just a little freaked out right now. But, I am perfectly okay with it. You’re almost seventeen now, and who am I to tell you when and with whom you should be having sex with – not that you’re not the perfect person, because Peter has had a crush on you for a while! – but it’s still, haha, weird, right? And I’m sorry, did I say that, and,”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Parker,” Michelle interjected. “Really, it’s fine.”

May finally closed her mouth, her eyes briefly looking at her nephew. “So, yeah, um Ned. He got a little drunk at Flash’s party, so we took him back here,” Peter said answering her question that she had when she first walked in.

“W..wh..what do you mean drunk? There was drinking at this party!?” May’s expression turned from shock to outrage so quickly that Peter didn’t have time to try and come up with some better excuse. “Okay, bud, you didn’t tell me there was going to be drinking at this party! I get it, you guys want to experiment and try new things, I did too, you should have seen me in the 90s! but lying to me about it,”

“I didn’t lie!” Peter exclaimed.  “I didn’t know there was going to be that stuff at the party until we got there, and I didn’t even have any!”

“It’s true, he didn’t,” Michelle added. “Peter was the responsible one.”

May looked from her to Peter. “You were?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, trust me, if I wasn’t I’d be passed out next to Ned.”

“You’re right about that, I wouldn’t have wanted you throwing up on me in the middle of the night,” Michelle said so nonchalantly, that it brought May right back to the fact that she had just walked in on her nephew and a girl trying to have sex.

May took a deep breath and finally said, “Okay, I’m going to make breakfast. MJ, any preferences? You aren’t vegan or anything are you?”

Michelle shook her head. “Dad came from Texas, I am pretty sure it’s illegal to be a vegan there,” she joked.

May laughed weakly. “Yeah, of course. Um, well you two get, uh cleaned up, and Peter, please get Ned up.”

“Of course, May, I’ll get right on it.”

She quickly shut the door and Peter could hear her run toward her own bedroom. Peter facepalmed. “Oh my God.”

“Well, it could have been worse,” Michelle said, slipping out of the bed.

“How could it have been worse?!”

“You could have been you know, coming, right when she came in, that would have been REALLY awkward,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips lightly as he had gone stiff with embarrassment from her comment. “Come on, I’m starving, and you have to go have a talk with your best friend.” Michelle grabbed his hand.

Peter groaned. “This morning is not going at all how I wanted it to.” He let her lead him out of his room and down the hall to the living room.

Once out of their room, Michelle suddenly realized that she had to go to the bathroom, and left Peter to go see Ned by himself. Peter took a deep breath and started talking to himself. “Okay, Peter, you and Ned have had fights all the time. No big deal. I mean, he’s never taken crazy performance enhancement drugs and tried to punch you in the face before, and you’ve never hit him over the head with a lamp, but hey, all friendships go through rough patches, right?”

As he entered the living room, the sound of _Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom_ playing on the TV, and off in the kitchen, the sound of May muttering to herself as she cooked them breakfast.

“You know what your problem is, Princess? You're too used to getting your own way.”

Sitting there on the couch was Ned, hunched over, engrossed in the movie playing on screen, unaware of Peter’s presence behind him. Peter cleared his throat, and Ned whole body recoiled. He whipped his head around, and blew a sigh of relief. “Oh, hey Peter, morning,” he said, his hand placed over his chest as if he was clutching his heart from being startled.

“Morning Ned, um, how are you feeling?” Peter asked casually as he sat down on the other side of the couch regarding Ned with concern. His eyes were bloodshot and the skin around them was red, probably from the mace Michelle had used on him the night before.

“Do you know how it feels when you get hit by a bus? Oh, well, wait, you probably do, it kind of feels like that,” Ned replied. He took a sip of a hot cup of coffee that Peter finally noticed. “Your Aunt doesn’t make coffee that bad,” he commented. “I think I freaked your Aunt out though, she’s been in there making breakfast and talking to herself since I woke up.”

Peter reddened. “Uh, actually, that’s not because of you,”

“Hey Ned, how’s the head?”

Ned’s neck snapped toward the sound of Michelle’s voice coming into the room. He looked her up and down, his mouth slightly agape, and then looked back at Peter. “Uh, ummm, uh, w…wha…what are you doing here?”

Michelle glanced at Peter and then back at Ned. “Who do you think helped get you here, dummy?” she replied, walking over to Peter and leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to see if May needs help. You two,” she pointed at both of them, “Need to talk now.”

Peter watched her walk away, the touch of her lips on his skin still lingering. He then realized Ned was staring at him. “Yeah, so we probably do need to talk about last night…”

“Did you have sex with Michelle!?” Ned said excitedly in a low voice.

“What!?” Peter could feel his face getting hotter. “Uh, well, yeah, we did…”

“What! Dude, how was that NOT the first thing out of your mouth? That is so awesome! What was it like?”

“Dude, that’s not really what I want to talk about right now,” Peter replied, looking sidelong toward the kitchen. He hesitated and then added, “But it was amazing. Last night and this morning until May walked in on us,”

“What!? Twice!? Peter, you’re a god among men, my friend.”

“No, that’d be Thor, but thanks,” Peter swallowed hard. “But that’s not what I want to talk about though. I think we should talk about what happened last night at the… party.”

Ned looked at him confused. “I don’t know what you mean, Peter. What happened?” His eyes widened. “Oh no, how drunk did I get?”

“Uh…. You got pretty drunk. It was a solid effort on your part. But, you don’t remember taking the Oz or what happened after that?”

Ned was still staring at him shocked. “I took that Oz stuff? How?”

“Harry had it, I think Norman is helping the Goblin make it, but that doesn’t matter right now. You don’t remember walking in on me and MJ, and getting really angry and telling her about me being Spider-Man and her spraying your face with mace…”

“That’s why my eyes hurt so much,” Ned said, the realization dawning on him. “She could have made me blind!”

“Yeah, well I think she didn’t want me beating you up, so lesser of two evils and all that.”

Ned’s face scrunched up in concentration, trying to remember last night. As his memory started to come back to him, Peter could see the look of despair coming to life. “Peter, what did I do!?”

Peter grabbed the remote and turned off Indiana Jones. “Look Ned, I’m sorry I got mad that you didn’t want to help me and wanted to have fun. You’re not the one with the super powers, and I shouldn’t have made a big deal about it. I think it’s all my fault.”

“You hit me over the head with a lamp!”

“You told MJ I was Spider-Man!” Peter retorted.

“Well… well…” Ned trailed off at a loss for words.

Peter sighed. “Ned… you know I’m not going to start leaving out you when MJ and I start dating.”

Ned looked down at his coffee mug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about… Wait, are you and MJ dating now?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, we are, and I know you’re not happy about it.”

“What? That’s not true….” Ned looked crestfallen. “Peter, it’s not that I’m not happy about. Dude, I’m super stoked you have a girlfriend now, and I’m happy it’s MJ, it’s just…”

“Ned, nothing is going to change okay? You’re still my guy in the chair,” Peter said quietly, knowing exactly what Ned wanted to say, but was too afraid to say. Ned scoffed. “No, it’s true, man. I want you to be a part of this.  Just because I have a girlfriend now, doesn’t mean I’m going to start hanging out with you less.”

“Oh, because you had so much time to hang out before when you were balancing school and being Spider-Man,” Ned replied.

“Wow, harsh,” Peter muttered. “Look, Tony and Aunt May want me to be a normal teenager. Dating is kind of part of that, right? And so is having a best friend. It’s going to be fine okay?” He held out his hand for Ned to do their best friend handshake. “Don’t leave me hanging, come on!”

Ned sighed. “Nothing’s going to change?”

“No way, man you have my word,” Peter replied.

Ned grabbed his hand and they did their elaborate secret handshake. “So, I think I remember making out with Betty… did that happen or was that a dream?”

Peter grinned wolfishly. “Yeah, that happened.” They did their handshake again. “But I’m not sure what happened after you took that Oz…”

Ned groaned. “Oh no, why did I take it?”

“Because you were drunk, we fought, and Harry pressured you?”

“Dammit, I shouldn’t have drunk any of that punch. Why can’t I be more responsible like you?”

“Well, being responsible isn’t as much fun, trust me,” Peter laughed. “Sorry about hitting you with the lamp by the way.”

Ned shrugged. “It’s okay, I kind of went all _Fight Club_ on you. So, what does MJ think about you being Spider-Man?”

“She’s not really surprised about it? I don’t know if that’s a good thing or if it means I’m really bad at hiding it.”

“She’s MJ, Peter. She notices a lot more than most people. So, I think you’re fine.”

“Yeah, at least she’s not freaked out by it.” Peter noticed Michelle and Aunt May walking into the room. “Oh,” he added in a low voice, “You’re probably going to have to apologize to MJ as well.”

“For what?!” Ned asked, bewildered.

“Uh, you called her some names, that I’m pretty sure if I repeated in front of Aunt May, she’d ground me for a month.”

Ned’s face went white just as Aunt May announced that breakfast was ready.

Peter wiped the sweat from his forehead after slipping back into his normal clothes. He had wanted to make it to school early to see Michelle before classes started, but the sounds of sirens distracted him, and he ended up helping a family escape the flames of their burning row home. He shook his suit out and flakes of ash fell off, disappearing into a puddle by Peter’s backpack. He was so happy that no one had decided to steal it today – he had his Physics II homework in there.

Ring, Ring.

Peter fumbled for his phone, which he had shoved somewhere in his bag. “Hello?!” he said, nearly out of breath as he answered.

“I’m assuming we are not meeting up by the football team’s oak tree before school?”

Peter cursed under his breath. “Sorry, MJ, I had a Spider-Man situation, burning building, family in peril.” They had only been officially dating for one day and already he felt like he was letting her down. Ned’s comment the day before about not having time echoed in his head, and he tried to push it away.

“It’s okay, this place is a little crowded anyway…. Apparently other people also thought it was a great place to go make out before school started, who knew?”

Peter grinned as he imagined the disgusted look on her face. “I’ll make it up after school, lots of kissing, I promise.”

“Oh, I know you will. Because I’m holding you hostage after decathlon practice.”

“Got it. I gotta run though if I’m going to make it to school at all.”

“See you soon, loser.” Suddenly, that word had a whole new meaning to Peter, especially when she said it so affectionately.

Peter turned off his phone, shoved his suit in his backpack and sprinted out of the alley and toward his school. He knew he was about ten minutes away, and if he really booked it, he could make it with a few minutes to spare before the bell rang to start the day. As he flew past other people on the street, he wondered how school was going to go. He was sure that everyone would be talking about what happened at Flash’s party, the fighting and Spider-Man showing up. He still couldn’t believe that Harry’s dad might have some connection to the drug and for that matter, to the Goblin. He had briefly thought Harry was in on it too, but he seemed so shocked by what the drugs had done that Peter quickly realized that Harry was as much in the dark about the drug as anyone. That only made Peter more anxious to find out the connection and more frustrated that Tony wanted him to lay low and let him take care of it.

When Peter got to school, he headed to his locker and found Ned waiting for him there, nervously looking around the hall.

“Dude, you look like you are waiting to find out if you’re going to die or not,” Peter commented as he opened his locker to grab the books he needed for the day.

“Peter, the entire school is talking about Flash’s party. It’s freaking crazy, man. No one seems to know what happened though. They all think it was something in the punch.”

Peter shut his locker. “Flash’s friends haven’t told anyone about the drug?”

Ned shook his head. “I don’t think so. And I haven’t seen Harry yet either.”

Peter observed the students walking around them in the hall. He could hear whispers of ‘fight,’ ‘went crazy,’ and ‘Spider-Man.’ “So I don’t get it, why are you so nervous?”

“Because I haven’t seen Betty yet. I was too scared to call her yesterday to apologize for leaving her at the party, and if I see her today, she’s going to be so mad at me.”

“Don’t worry, Ned, I’m sure she will understand.” He looked over Ned’s shoulder and saw Betty’s blond hair coming toward them. “Oh, see, she’s coming this way…” he trailed off, realizing she was walking with Cindy. He quickly looked away and down at his books in his hands.

“Uh, hi Ned; hi Peter.”

They both looked up at the two girls as they approached. Cindy’s face was rosy pink and she could barely look at Peter. He didn’t blame her; he acted like a complete idiot Saturday night.

“Hi Betty, Cindy,” Peter said quietly, barely looking at them.

“B…B…Betty, Hi!” Ned said, his voice rising an octave. “Um, how ya doin?”

She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I’d be better if I wasn’t grounded,” she replied. “Why did you leave me at the party? That’s not cool, Ned.”

Ned looked at her with defeat. “I didn’t mean to do that Betty,” he apologized. “I was going to the bathroom, and then suddenly it got all chaotic, and Spider-Man and the cops showed up and I was looking for you, but I couldn’t find you! I…I.. I tried calling you too, but I guess your phone has been turned off or something?”

Peter was surprised by how good of an excuse that sounded. He was also surprised by Betty’s response. “Yeah, it was crazy. I lost my phone too, I’m pretty sure it’s at Flash’s house somewhere, but I bet it’s broken. Cindy and I left as soon as Spider-Man started fighting Flash and his friends. It was really scary. I can’t believe they thought they could take on Spider-Man! They must have been way trashed.”

“Yeah,” Ned replied, glancing at Peter, “super-trashed.”

Betty smiled and looked down at her feet, then back at Ned. “I did have fun though, before everything went insane. If you ever want to hang out again, um, just let me know.”

Ned’s eyes grew two times too big for his face. “Seriously!? Hell yeah!” Peter elbowed him in the ribs, and Ned scaled back his excitement quickly. “I mean, cool, super cool. I’ll send you a Snap.”

Betty looked at Peter then. “So Peter, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Peter’s jaw dropped open. “Me? What?”

Betty placed her hands on Cindy’s shoulders. “You have some nerve asking Cindy out and then being a jerk and not even dancing with her or hanging out with her. I didn’t think you were like that.”

Peter felt humiliated as he looked at Cindy, who was keeping her eyes on her shoes. “I am so sorry. Cindy. I didn’t mean to be like that. I feel really bad about how that date went, I really do,” Peter said imploringly.

Cindy looked up at him, her lips starting to form a small smile. “It’s okay Peter. Really, Betty is just overprotective, there’s no need to…”

“Cindy! Don’t just forgive him like that! It wasn’t nice, Peter.”

“I know,” he retorted. “I know how excited you were, and I shouldn’t have led you on like that.”

Cindy looked like she wanted to say something, but then a new presence interrupted and changed the entire dynamic of the conversation.

“You made it with two minutes to spare!” Michelle came up from the side right behind Betty. She slipped past her, and approached Peter, slipping her hand into his and leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “You’ll have to tell me all about the fi-“  She stopped speaking when Peter tightened his grip on her hand. She noticed Betty and Cindy, who both were staring at her and Peter with new expressions of disbelief.

Peter knew Michelle could feel the discomfort in the air and quickly dropped his hand. “Betty, Cindy, crazy party Saturday, right?”

Cindy’s eyes started to well up and she whispered, “Excuse me,” before pushing past Betty and running down the hall.

Betty balled her fists and glared at Peter. “I can’t believe you,” she said through gritted teeth. “And you Michelle? Stealing other people’s boyfriends!? You have some nerve.” She didn’t even acknowledge Ned again before storming off to follow her friend.

Michelle looked at Peter and Ned her eyes wide. “Did she just? Oh no, I’m going to have to have some words with her….”

“No, I think that’s probably not a good idea,” Peter said quickly.  

“Ugh, see all of this could have been avoided if-“  

“I know!” he exclaimed. “You don’t have to remind me how stupid I was.” He glanced around to see if anyone was looking and then leaned in and kissed her lips swiftly. “I should probably apologize for that too.”

She shrugged. “You’ll just have to make it up to me double after school.” She grabbed his hand again, raising her eyebrows suggestively as the three of them started for their homeroom class.

“Ew, are you two talking about sex?” Ned whined. “You can’t do that in front of me. It’s weird.”

“Oh, because you had no problem asking Peter about us having sex earlier,” she retorted.

“That’s different, you weren’t there!”

“Oh, so I can’t talk about sex, but you can?”

“What, that’s –“

“Oh crap!” Peter stopped short, rummaging frantically through his bag.

“What’s wrong, Peter?” Michelle asked.

“I forgot my Physics book, I gotta go back and get it.” Just then the bell rang signaling the start of the day. “Crap, and now I’m going to be late.”

“Hurry up then, we’ll see you in class,” Michelle said, pushing him toward the direction of his locker.

Peter scurried back to his locker, and grabbed his physics book. He looked at the clock on the wall. He had two minutes before the late bell rang.  _I can make it_ , he thought, as he started racing down the hall and nearly ran into someone. “Oh man, I’m so sorry, I’m… Harry?” Peter stopped when he realized who had run into.

The first thing Peter noticed about Harry was the dark bruise on his right cheek. Peter didn’t remember him getting involved in the fight at the party, so he wondered where he had gotten it from. The second thing he noticed was how disheveled Harry looked. His shirt was wrinkled, and his usually sleek blonde hair was unkempt. The last thing he noticed was how tired Harry looked. The bags under his eyes were almost as dark as his bruised cheek.

“Oh, hey, Peter,” Harry said, unenthusiastically. He combed his fingers through his hair. “Guess I won’t be the only one late.” The late bell rang, and Peter cursed silently.

“Guess not,” Peter mumbled.

Harry handed him a piece of paper from his pocket. Peter uncrumpled it. “An excuse note from the front office?”

Harry handed him a pen. “I schmoozed Ms. McDaniels up there, and I snagged a bunch of these and her signature stamp.”

Peter took the pen and quickly wrote his name on the excuse note. “Wow, thanks Harry. I’m pretty sure Mrs. Rodriguez would give me detention if I was late without an excuse again.”

Harry shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”

They started down the hallway toward their homerooms in silence. Peter wanted to ask him about the drug, about his father, and most importantly about the bruise on his cheek, but Harry’s unusual quietness made him rethink it.

Harry was the one to break the silence. “You were right, Peter.”

“Huh? Uh, me? I mean… I was? A…a…about what, exactly?”

“That stupid drug. You were right not to take it. Didn’t you see what happened?”

“Uh, I was actually upstairs the whole time,” he replied.

“What were you doing upstairs?”

“Uh, well, MJ didn’t leave actually, and we, uh,” He blushed.

“You and MJ hooked up!?” Harry stopped and placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Dude, that’s amazing! I’m really happy for you.”

Peter was taken aback by Harry’s earnestness. “You are? Uh, thanks. You aren’t mad that she, uh, left you?”

“No way, I mean, she asked me to go and I said I would, but I knew she only wanted to make you mad, and jealous. She complained about you the whole time we hung out.”

“But you tried to kiss her,” he pointed out.

Harry winced. “Yeah, not one of my better moves. I’m sorry Peter. I was being stupid.”

“It’s okay…. So I heard a little from Ned about what happened, but he doesn’t remember too much.”

“I didn’t know, man. I thought it would get everyone a little loopy, but I didn’t know it would make them all stronger and crazy.”

“So, where did your dad get it? I mean, you said you got it from his lab right?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s some enhancement drug. I know Dad’s been working on some secret stuff for the military, maybe that was it. I don’t know though it was scary.” Peter glanced at his eye again, and Harry noticed. He grunted. “Yeah, this is what happens when Norman Osborne finds out you stole his stuff.”

Peter’s eyes grew large. “Wait, Harry, did your Dad do that to you?”

Harry turned away. “Don’t worry about it Peter. It’s my fault. I keep letting him down.”

“Harry, I know I don’t have any real father figures, but that’s not okay.”

Harry stopped and glared at him. “You’re right, you don’t know what it’s like to have a father, so why don’t you mind your own business.”

Peter stopped in his tracks. “Harry, I’m sorry, I just,”

Harry looked back toward his homeroom. “Just forget it. I’ll see you at lunch.” He turned and stalked off, leaving Peter standing in the middle of the hallway by himself.

Peter sighed and headed for his own homeroom. As soon as he walked in, Mrs. Rodriguez swept over to him, her face looking as if she was ready to send him right back out. Peter rapidly thrusted the note out in front of him. “Lo siento, Senora Rodriguez.”

She snatched the note from his hand and looked it over. “Muy bien Peter, Siéntate.”  

Michelle and Ned were both eagerly waiting for him as he sat down. “Dude, what took you so long?” Ned whispered, leaning in.

“I ran into Harry, literally,” Peter replied in an equally low voice. He looked back at Michelle. “He was all beat up in the face.”

“By who? I thought you said he didn’t fight?” Michelle responded.

“His dad,” Peter gave them both worried looks.

“Jeez, and here I thought I could have no sympathy for the guy,” Ned replied. “What did he say about it?”

“His dad flipped out on him about stealing from him.”

“Well, you’d think if he wanted this stuff pedaled on the streets, he’d be happy that Harry was giving kids a taste.”

Peter thought about Ned’s statement as Mrs. Rodriguez called the class to order to start the Spanish lesson for the day. He was convinced that Norman Osborn had something to do with the Goblin’s operations, but Ned was right. If he wanted the drug on the street, why would he get so upset at Harry for taking the drug and giving it to other people? He caught a glimpse of Flash, who was slouched in his seat, his friend Tyler leaning over beside him and whispering something. The black eye on Flash was noticeable all the way from the other side of the room, and Flash kept touching it, wincing every time. He and Tyler must have been talking about it.

Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He slipped it out and opened to a text message from Michelle.

_All I keep thinking about is Saturday night. I didn’t know it would feel that good. I want to do is skip class and be with you._

Peter glanced back at her, and she looked completely oblivious to him, her face hidden in a book. He glanced at Mrs. Rodriguez who was looking over at the other side of the room, and then typed back,

_you’re texting in class. What did I do to you?_


	14. Dirty Deeds and New Leads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short Chapter for you guys, but a nice calm before the storm! Thank you for all the bookmarks, comments and kudos!

“So, one weeks’ detention? That’s not so bad,” Ned said later as he and Peter sat down at their usual lunch table. Peter tried to ignore al the looks that their classmates gave him as he and Ned made it to their table. He was used to being sort of invisible, but news of his and Michelle’s relationship apparently was more important to everyone than the fight at Flash’s party. Peter didn’t understand why either. 

Peter took a bite of his sandwich and glanced around, and noticed a couple of sophomore girls looking at him and giggling. “Yeah, not too bad. Principal Morita did ask us if we’d talk to Coach Wilson about, ugh, safe sex.” He made a face. “Then Michelle said, ‘I don’t know Principal Morita, don’t you think Coach Wilson’s inadequate sex education is why we’re here in the first place?’” Ned gasped. “Yeah, I’m surprised Morita didn’t add an extra week for her, but I think he was too shocked to respond.” 

“Jeez, well I’m glad I’m not dating her,” Ned said under his breath.

“Dude!”

“Sorry,” Ned replied. “So, did you hear about what happened when the cops took Flash to the station?”

Peter shook his head. “No, what happened?”

“They couldn’t find a single trace of the drug in him. They thought he was lying about it making him get super strong and go crazy.” 

“Hmm, well Gargan did say that the drug metabolized fast in the system, so maybe that’s why.” 

“Yeah, but lucky for Harry, right?! I mean if there was something there, they would have traced it back to him.” 

Peter thought back to his nagging thought about Norman Osborne working for the Goblin. “Yeah, well I think Harry got enough punishment from his dad,” he said in a low voice.   
“So, did you tell him all about our detention?” They both looked up to see Michelle coming towards them, sitting down across from Peter. Just her presence seemed to hypnotize him. He kept thinking about their little rendezvous in Mr. Reese’s old room. Peter had sneaked out of school before, skipped class, but he had never done anything like that. “Peter, hey, you okay?” 

He realized he had gone slightly unresponsive on them, lost in his thoughts. “Oh, sorry, I…”

“Are you going to make googly eyes at MJ during the whole lunch?” Ned whined, looking between the two.

“What? No, sorry,” Peter muttered, glancing one more time at Michelle before looking down at his lunch. 

“So, does anyone get the feeling that everyone’s staring at us?” Michelle asked.

Peter looked around the cafeteria again, and noticed that more eyes were on them now that Michelle had sat down. “Yeah, that’s, um, weird. I mean, Flash and his friends took a weird drug and fought me – I mean, Spider-Man – and everyone would rather talk about me and Michelle?” 

“They’re talking about us?” Michelle asked. “What are they saying?” She grabbed her curls and pulled them up into a messy bun. “

“Flash was making a big deal about it during the rest of Spanish class,” Ned offered. “He just couldn’t believe you could get any girl, and was talking about how he stole Cindy from you at the party, and….” Ned trailed off. “Oh. I think I may know why.” Ned’s face had gone red and he lowered his eyes. 

“You do? Why?” Peter looked at him curiously. 

“Hey Penis Parker!” Flash interrupted them, making Peter cringe as he shouted his nickname he gave him last year. 

“Flash, we’re a little busy, you mind?” Michelle said, giving him her dirtiest look. 

Flash threw on a look of mock shock. “Busy?! What are you two doing under the table!? Gross!” Giggles started running through the cafeteria. 

“Shut up, Flash,” Peter muttered. 

Flash knelt and put his arm around Peter’s shoulder. “I just gotta know, man, how’d you do it?”

“Do what?” 

Flash looked up at Michelle with a sly grin on his face. Michelle’s face “Get MJ over there to spread her legs?” 

Peter’s eyes widened and Michelle froze. “What did you say?” she asked slowly.

“What? Ned told us all about how you got her into bed Saturday,” Peter whipped his face around to stare at Ned with a look of shock. Ned sunk lower in his seat. “I mean, Parker, I got to admit I didn’t know you had it in you, I’m quite impressed,”

“Shut up Flash,” Peter said, standing up and pushing Flash’s arm off him. 

The whole cafeteria got quiet. Flash stepped back a few feet, a quiver of fear flashing across his face. “Whoa, Parker, I’m just trying to compliment you.” He kept his smirk on his face. “Everyone knows MJ is a hard nut to crack. And you just cracked her wide open,” 

“Disgusting,” MJ muttered under her breath, glaring at him. 

“Don’t talk about her like that,” Peter said angrily, balling his fists. 

“What are you going to do Parker? Hit me? Go ahead, I can take it.” He motioned to his black eye, which unbeknownst to him, Peter had also given him. 

“Peter, don’t,” Michelle said under her breath. Peter looked over at her, and the look on his face must have been violent for she looked surprised. 

“Flash, you should walk away right now,” Peter warned him, taking two steps forward so they were almost touching noses. 

“Whoa, lose your virginity and now you’re all tough?” Flash said in a low and dangerous voice. 

“That’s not what I…” Peter started feeling flustered. If Flash was a bad guy in a mechanical suit, he’d come up with the best comeback for him and then web him up, but he wasn’t a bad guy in a mechanical suit, and Peter was in the middle of the cafeteria, all eyes on him. 

“Whoa, Flash,” Harry suddenly appeared and stepped in between them. He held his hands out blocking Flash. “Why don’t you leave Peter alone. I know you’re jealous since no girl wants to date you, but you’re just going to have to get over it.” 

A low ‘ooooh’ echoed around the room. 

“Whatever, if the only option was Michelle, I’d pass,” He said, looking over Harry at Peter with a snide look. 

“Really? Because I swear I was standing next two you like a month ago when you asked her out and she pretty much said, ‘hell no,’” Harry replied, crossing his arms across his chest and smiling smugly. The giggles commenced once more.

Flash glanced at Michelle who sat back in her chair and gave him a look, daring him to say something else. “You’re lucky that I didn’t tell the cops who gave us those pills,” he so low no one else could hear him except Harry and Peter. 

“What pills?” Harry said innocently, his smug smile not leaving his face. Both Flash and Peter were surprised by how Harry responded, so confident, not a hint of fear. Flash gave them both a look of disdain before trudging back over to his own table. 

Harry turned around and clapped Peter’s shoulder. “Pete, let me handle the fighting. Not that Flash is much of a fighter, but I’ve seen you in gym class.”

Peter caught Ned and Michelle’s eyes, “Uh, yeah, you’re right, thanks man,” Peter replied with a nervous laugh. He sat back down and Harry walked around to the other side of the table and sat down next to Michelle. 

“Well, I got to admit Peter, never thought I’d see you behind some school sex scandal,” Harry said. 

“Dammit, sex scandal!?” Michelle exclaimed. “We like each other, we had sex, and we are dating, why is this so scandalous to everyone!”

“Because you go to a school full of nerds. Besides myself, I’m pretty sure I don’t know anyone else who’s really having sex,” Harry replied nonchalantly. When Peter looked at him questioningly, Harry added, “trust me, I know. When you start hanging out with Flash you learn a lot about a lot of people.”

“Well I wish no one knew about that,” Peter muttered, glancing at Ned.

Ned paled. “I’m sorry okay! But I was trying to defend you! After you two left, we were working on group activities, and in our group, Flash just wanted to talk about how he didn’t believe you two were dating and making fun of you, so I….” 

“Decided to tell him we had sex so that he would stop making fun of me?” 

“It’s sex! Flash thinks he’s so much better than us, I just thought…”

“Men,” Michelle sighed. “Your gender and your fragile egos when it comes to sex.” 

Peter, Ned, and Harry all stared at her for a second. “Right, okay, let’s just… forget about it okay?” Peter sighed. 

“Sounds good to me,” Michelle replied, grabbing her book and commencing her reading. 

Peter looked back over at Harry, his bruise on his cheek more noticeable under the bright cafeteria lights. Harry noticed him looking at is and touched his cheek absently. “Yeah, it looks worse, right? I hear that’s a sign that it’s getting better.” He rolled his eyes and started eating his lunch.

“What happened to you?” Ned blurted out. 

Harry looked at Ned, then Peter, and then back at Ned. “Oh, Peter didn’t tell you? My dad found out I gave everyone those pills. He wasn’t very happy about it and Osborne men use physical force to take out their frustrations… well that and a whole bottle of brandy.” 

“Wow, and I thought my Dad taking away my PS4 for a month was bad,” Ned replied, staring at Harry’s cheek. 

Peter nudged him and muttered through his teeth, “Shut up Ned.” 

“It’s okay, that’s the Osborne way,” Harry shrugged. “He’s not happy about a lot of things right now.”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked, leaning forward. He was hoping that Harry would reveal something that might give him a clue as to Norman’s involvement with the Goblin.  
“I’m supposed to do something for him,” Harry looked up at Peter steadily. “But it’s not been easy, and it sucks because if I can do this for him, I get my freedom. He’ll give me my trust fund and I can get as far away from him as possible.” 

Peter could sense Harry’s despair, and he felt bad for the boy. They had only known him for a couple of months, but he was really starting to feel closer to Harry, despite being worried about his motivations before. “Is there anything we can do to help you?” Peter asked him, trying again to reach out.

Harry looked as if he wanted to blurt something out, but the moment passed quickly. “No, it’s something I gotta do on my own.” He looked back down at his tray and started eating quietly. 

Peter looked over at Ned, who just shrugged, and then at Michelle who raised an eyebrow over the top of her book. Peter wanted to pry more, especially since Harry sounded so ominous, but the way Harry got so quiet and lost in thought, he decided it was better not to. 

“So, hey, Peter, did you watch the new trailer for the new season of Doctor Who? It looks awesome man,” Ned said, steering the rest of their lunch time conversation into more neutral territory. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“More news this morning about the attempted robbery thwarted by Queens’ own neighborhood Spider-Man. Last night around closing time, Spider-Man saved the lives of several bank tellers getting ready to close up for the night, when four men came through the door and attacked them.

‘They were so strong and had a wild look in their eye! If Spider-Man didn’t come to our rescue, I was afraid they would have killed us!’

That was Michael Stabler, the head teller at First Credit Union of Queens. This attack follows a string of other attacks by men with seemingly enhanced strength. It is making the public and law officials wonder if there is something in the water making these men strong.

‘We can’t find a trace of any type of drug in their system that would have been causing them to get strong; unfortunately, we can’t do DNA tests to see if their genetics have been altered either, so we can’t get a lead on how these guys are getting so strong. I may not agree with him all the time, but it’s a good thing Spider-Man’s around. I don’t know if we could take these guys.”

Peter shoveled his cereal into his mouth as he watched the news on the kitchen TV. Aunt May was busying herself with stuffing leftovers into a container for her to take to work. “I’ll tell you exactly what’s in them,” Peter muttered, as he stuffed another mouthful of Cap’n Crunch down his throat. 

It had been almost three weeks since Flash’s party, and Peter was no closer to proving Norman’s involvement with the Oz and the Goblin than he was then. He continued to fight off Gargan’s guys, but even Gargan was missing, as well as signs of the Goblin. He was beginning to wonder if they even wanted to get to him at all anymore. He continually bugged Tony to find out if he made any headway, but Tony seemed so flippant about the whole thing and distracted that Peter felt he wasn’t taking it seriously enough. 

“Peter, this stuff seems like it’s getting serious,” May commented as she finished packing her lunch. 

“It’s fine, May, I can handle it. I mean the news guy believes in me,” Peter replied with a grin. 

May shook her head. “You make me a nervous wreck, you know that?” she walked over to him and kissed the top of his head. “Just be careful. This stuff sounds dangerous. Have you asked Tony for help?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “He’s helping, May, when he’s not, you know, running the Avengers.” 

May sighed. “Okay.” She started walking out the door, and then stopped. “Oh, I may not be home until late tonight, I’m meeting the mysterious boyfriend again tonight.”

Peter turned around in his chair. “Uh, when am I going to meet this guy anyway? I mean you have met my girlfriend,” 

“True, and I got a nice little surprise too when I walked in on the two of you getting it on,” she said sarcastically, making Peter grimace. “And that was something I was trying to avoid. But I don’t think you’re going to get a chance to see such an intimate side of me.” 

Peter looked at her quizzically. “Wait, why, I mean, ew, but May are you breaking up with him?”

She frowned. “It’s not working out. I don’t know if he knows that, but he will tonight.” 

“Jeez, didn’t know you were a heart breaker.” 

“It runs in the family Peter, so be careful,” she said with a laugh. “Okay, I’ll see you later.” 

“Bye May, love you!” Peter called after her. He picked up his cereal bowl and put it in the sink, grabbed his backpack, and then ran back into his room to make sure he had all his school stuff and his Spider-Man equipment in his bag. 

When he got to school, Ned and Michelle were both standing at his locker, Ned looking pleased with himself, and MJ looking skeptical.

“Uh, hey guys, what’s with the welcoming party?” He asked as he wedged his way through them to change out his books from his bag to his locker.

“So, I finally did my laundry for the first time in a month,” 

“Gross, Ned, really?” Peter said.

“Oh please, I’ve been in your room before,” Michelle retorted, making Peter scowl. 

“Yeah, so anyway, when I was throwing my clothes in, I found this in my pant pocket,” he pulled a small green pill out of his flannel shirt pocket. Peter stared at it for a long time, unable to believe his eye. 

“Ned, that’s amazing!” Peter exclaimed, grabbing the pill and holding it up to his eye. “We need to analyze this stuff to see what’s inside it.” 

“Chemistry classroom 3rd period? That’s when Dr. Connors has his free period and usually takes a nap in the teacher’s lounge.” 

“Oh yeah,” they did their secret handshake. 

“Peter, even if you find out what’s inside it, how does that help you find the Goblin?” Michelle asked, looking at them both with a look of frustration.

“I don’t know, but I’d like to know what this stuff is. It’s killed some of the people that took it, and it’s affects their minds.” 

She had a point though. Even if he found out what the stuff was, it wasn’t going to change the fact that he was no closer to finding out the real answers. “Okay,” she said, still not convinced. “I’m assuming, you want me to keep a lookout when you two are playing Bruce Banner and Tony Stark?” 

“I mean, only if you want to,” Peter replied, giving her big puppy dog eyes. She rolled her eyes and kissed his lips quickly.

“I’ll see you third period, I have to run to the newspaper room, Cindy’s been a real pain in my ass ever since you and I started dating, and she emailed me her article last night at midnight. So, if I want to get the newspaper out to print for next week, I gotta get this done now.” 

Peter squeezed her hand. “Sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay, just try to remind me why I tried to get more involved this year? I liked sitting in a corner and reading and drawing.” 

“It’s called character development,” Peter replied, “remember?”

“Using my own words against me? Touché,” she waved at them and headed off. 

“So, I guess you get to be Tony Stark in this scenario,” Ned said as they left his locker. 

“Well, he is kind of my mentor, and you did kind of go rage monster on me when you took that Oz,” Peter replied. 

“Hey Banner’s cool, I’ll take it.”

They headed to homeroom, earlier than Peter ever made it.

When third period came around, Peter feigned sick and left his Theoretical Physics I class and sneaked through the hallways to Dr. Connor’s chemistry lab, hoping not to get caught by Principal Morita. When he got there, Ned was already standing there. 

“There you are, hurry up before someone sees us! I already had to fend off Mrs. Morris!” 

“What did you say to her?” Peter asked, as he looked around for Michelle. 

“I told her I was on my way to the bathroom, but my stomach hurt so bad, I had to rest.” 

Peter looked at him doubtfully. “And she believed that?” 

Ned nodded. “I made it pretty convincing.” 

“All right, you two ready to play mad scientist?” 

They both looked up and saw Michelle coming toward them. 

“Yeah, just waiting on you,” Peter replied. 

She nodded, and pulled a bobby pin out of her pocket. 

“Is that really going to work? I don’t think that’s really going to work,” Ned said, watching her as she stuck the sharp edge of the pin into the lock hole. 

“Ye of little faith,” muttered, as she twisted and turned the pin, moving it around a bit. Suddenly, they heard a click, and she smiled satisfied. “Told you.” 

She turned the knob and pushed the door open. “You’re awesome!” Peter exclaimed, kissing her on the lips excitedly. 

She blushed slightly and looked around behind them. “Okay, you two go to work, and I’ll stand guard.” 

Peter nodded and pulled Ned into the classroom. “So, what do we need to do first?” Ned asked him, looking around the room. 

Peter opened his backpack and got his suit out. “Hold this,” he said, twisting off his little drone buddy and handing it to Ned. 

Ned looked at it confused. “Uh, Peter, MJ is standing guard, why do we need your drone?”

“Because we are in a high school chemistry lab, dude, not Tony’s lab. And time is of the essence.” 

He turned on the drone, and Karen’s voice came through loud and clear. “Good morning Peter.”

“Hey Karen,” Peter greeted his AI. 

“Peter, did you just turn on your suit?” Michelle called out from the doorway.

“Uh, yeah,” Peter replied. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Karen asked.

“Hey, hey, now, you sound like my Aunt!” Peter shook his head. “Hey Karen, can you scan this pill and analyze what’s in it?” 

“Certainly. Scanning chemical compound.”

Peter held up the small pill and a red scanning ray shout out of the drone and zeroed in on the small green pill. 

“Analyzing composition.” 

“Wow, that is a lot easier,” Ned said in awe. 

“Yeah,” Peter replied, hopping up onto the lab table.

“So, why did we need to come to Dr. Connors room again?” 

“Because we knew it would be empty. I couldn’t very well do this in the bathroom, could I?” 

“Oh, yeah, good point,” Ned replied. 

It took Karen about five minutes to complete the scan. She then displayed the results on a virtual screen that popped up from the drone. 

Peter and Ned looked at the analysis for a minute or so. “Okay, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking for,” Ned admitted finally.

“Is that it?” Michelle left her post to come see the screen.

Peter nodded, a chill washing over him as he looked at results. There was something familiar about them. He shook his head. “It can’t be,” he said quietly.

“What?” Michelle asked, taking a seat next to him on the table. 

“See that right there?” He pointed to the analysis. 

She nodded. “Yeah, but I can read it as well as you can read Lady Chatterley’s Lover.” 

“Oh, I liked that one, I think,” Ned piped up.

“Yeah because of all the graphic sex scenes,” she retorted. Ned started to protest, but just nodded and shrugged.

“I have seen this type of analysis before.” Ned and Michelle both looked at him with looks of confusion. “After I unlocked the suit and had Karen’s help, I thought about analyzing… my blood… maybe finding out how the spider venom bonded with me. When she ran the tests, they looked a lot like this.” 

“What are you saying Peter?” 

“Whoever created this, created the spider that bit him,” Karen said logically.

Ned’s eyes widened. “No way! You think that’s true?” 

“Science doesn’t lie Ned, we both know that,” Peter answered. “I mean, it’s not exact, but there are too many similarities. It’s like whatever was in the spider, was a first attempt of making this drug. And maybe they changed it up a little bit if they thought that the first serum wasn’t successful.” 

“Boy if they could see you, they’d be kicking themselves right now,” Ned added. “I mean, not that we want them knowing about you. I was just saying…” 

“I know, Ned. Man, if only I could get into Oscorp, see what Mr. Osborne’s doing….”

“Peter, Tony said…”

“I know what he said,” Peter groaned. “He wants to handle it. I got it. And meanwhile, this stuff is still out there, Harry is getting beat up by his dad, and I have significant evidence that not only links Mr. Osborne to the Goblin somehow, but to me as well.” He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s not fair. Mr. Stark should let me take care of this.” 

“But how would you even do it, Peter? I mean, you can’t just waltz into Oscorp and ask them to look at their green superhuman drug.” 

Michelle jumped off the lab table. “Actually….” She was grinning widely and started running for the door.

“Where are you going?” Peter asked her. 

“Meet me at your locker at the end of the day,” she called out as she skipped out of the room. 

“What was that about?” Peter said, looking at Ned confused. 

“Why are you asking me? You’re the one who’s been dating her for the last month,” Ned retorted. 

When the school day was over, Peter and Ned both showed up at Peter’s locker, as Michelle had asked. They stood around awkwardly for a few minutes as everyone else around them rushed off to their homes, jobs, or after school activities. Peter glanced at his watch, and looked back up around the hallway as it emptied out. 

“I should text her,” he said, pulling his phone out. 

“Hmm, unlike MJ to be late,” Ned replied, looking over his shoulder to make sure she wasn’t coming up behind him. “Maybe she’s trying to make us anxious. Build the suspense.”   
“What suspense? Ned, I think you’ve been watching too much of This is Us.” 

“What!? Take that back, you can never watch enough of it. It’s a modern-day masterpiece in drama!” Ned exclaimed. 

Peter laughed and rolled his eyes.

Just then, Michelle came running up to them, slightly out of breath. “Hey, sorry. I was trying to get the details, and so I’m a little late.” 

“Details? What details?” Peter asked. “What is going on?”

Michelle smiled. “Okay, so Mr. Stark doesn’t want you to investigate what’s going on right?” 

“Yeah, so…”

“But you want to,” 

“Of course, it’s just…”

“You don’t know how? Well, I found us a way.” 

Peter and Ned exchanged more confused looks. “Go on,” Peter said. 

“Okay, so I cornered Harry after English class and asked him to get me an interview today after school with his dad. I told him I was doing some spotlight pieces for the newspaper on accomplished scientists, and that you already got me an interview with Mr. Stark, so I thought it only fair that Mr. Osborne was in the paper.” 

Peter’s lips turned up. “And Harry bought it?”

“Of course he did! And I told him he owed me one for trying to get frisky at Flash’s party, so I had just come from seeing him. He got us an interview today at 5 so we have to get out of here and get downtown to Oscorp now.” 

“I want to make out with you so badly right now,” Peter said. 

“Can it wait, I’m still here!” Ned retorted. He shook his head. “Okay, so we’re heading out?” 

Michelle paused. “Um, actually it’s just Peter and me,” she said slowly.

“What! Why can’t I come!?” Ned cried out.

Peter glanced at Ned with a worried look. “Yeah, you sure he can’t come?” Peter asked, trying to advocate for his friend.

“Well, I thought about asking if we could all come, but then I thought that might look suspicious, so I told Harry, it was just me and Peter. I told him Peter does some photography for the paper sometimes.” She pulled a large black camera out of her backpack and handed to Peter. “I had to borrow this from Edwin, our actual photographer.” 

Peter took the camera and stared at it. “MJ, I am not a photographer, you know that! I’m pretty sure most of my selfies are of just my eyes!” 

“So? It’s not like Mr. Osborne’s going to see the pictures you take,” she replied, irritably. “Plus, you’re my boyfriend, so it’s kind of believable I’d drag you along, and I told him you looked up to his dad.” 

“Oh wow, MJ, laying that on pretty thick, huh?” Peter looked over at Ned, who looked downcast. “Hey, as soon as we’re done, I’ll text you and you can meet me at my house okay?”

Ned looked back and forth between the two. “Whatever.” 

“Ned, come on, I’m soooorrryy,” Michelle said. “But Peter’s right. As soon as we’re done, come over and we can look through everything together.” 

Peter could feel a knot in his chest, worry consuming him. He knew how Ned felt about being left out, and over the last month, he had tried to split his time between him and Michelle, and his school responsibilities and Spider-Man duties, but there were many times Michelle had won out. Ned was starting to get irritable about it, and Peter was getting weary. 

“Yeah, all right,” Ned said, finally giving in. “But as soon as you’re done!”

“Like the second we walk out of the building,” Peter said, giving his best friend a supportive smile. He clapped Ned on the back and grabbed Michelle’s hand. “Okay, so you’re going to show me how to work this camera thingy?” 

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Okay genius, give it here.” She grabbed the camera from him and started explaining its features as the two of them walked toward the school’s main entrance. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Harry watched from the corner of the hallway as Michelle and Peter walked away from Ned, leaving him alone. He smiled. He had no idea why Michelle wanted to interview his father, but the opportunity to get Peter away from Ned was one that Harry wasn’t sure he was going to get again, and his father was getting impatient. He wondered what the three of them were talking about, so secretive all the time. Whatever it was, it looked like Ned was angry, and Peter and Michelle were apprehensive. 

When the idea had come to him, Harry had scoffed at it. It was ridiculous to think it would work – especially since his other plans had failed. Being his friend wasn’t enough, trying to get him drunk didn’t work; for some reason, he couldn’t get anywhere with Peter. But Ned was a different story. He hadn’t tried that avenue yet, and he was getting desperate. His father’s outbursts were becoming a regular occurrence, and Harry was avoiding him as much as possible. All he needed were answers. 

“Guess that happens a lot now, huh?” He asked as he came up behind Ned, startling him.

“Harry, hi!” Ned said, catching himself. “You scared me, I thought I was the last one here.” 

Harry gave him an easy smile. “Nope, I was talking to Mrs. Morris about some tutoring next week. I am definitely not doing any better in government than I was a month ago. She’s concerned, you know.” He laughed, and Ned laughed with him. “So, Michelle didn’t want to invite you along to meet my dad?” 

Ned glanced back toward the entrance where they had just left, and then back at Harry. “Uh, well, they wanted to go alone, if you know what I mean... but, uh, we’re meeting up later, so…”

“Oh, that’s cool. So, what are you doing right now?”

“Right now?” Ned frowned. “Um, I was going to go home and play some PS4 for a little. I’ve got the new Destiny 3 I’m trying to beat.” 

Harry’s eyes widened. “That sounds like fun! Hey maybe we can hang out together for a little, until you have to meet up with them.” 

Ned looked surprised. “You want to hang out with me?” 

“Yeah, why not? We’re friends, right? I mean, I haven’t hung out with anyone in a while. Flash won’t talk to me anymore, and my butler, Andrew? Not the best company for a teenager.” 

Neg shrugged. “Sure, come on over. I don’t think we can play Destiny 3 together, but I have the new Halo, we can definitely do some Team Slayer action.” 

Harry raised his hand for a high-five, and Ned reluctantly gave him one. “Awesome. Let’s go! My butler can drive us to your house.” 

“Your butler picks you up?” 

“Yeah, he worries about me.” 

“Well, that’s pretty nice of him, and kind of weird. I don’t know, I don’t have butler.” 

“I don’t know about that, I think it’s his job, but okay.” Harry led Ned out of the school and toward the black Town Car waiting for him at the bottom of the school steps. Andrew was waiting patiently beside it. “Andrew, this is Ned, Ned, Andrew.”

“Nice to meet you… Ned,” Andrew said, opening the back door. As Ned crawled inside the Town Car, Andrew placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Are you sure about this, Harry?” he asked him in a whisper. “You’ve said these people have become your friends. If you do this, you ruin any chance of that lasting.” 

Harry glared at him. “Andrew, I know what I’m doing okay? I’m so close to being rid of my father forever. You’ve seen what he’s become, the longer I stay with him, the less safe I am, and the more I become his prisoner.” 

Andrew sighed. “I know, but when you talk about these people, I see it in your eyes, you’re happy when you’re with them. Maybe it’s time you rethought your father’s bargain.”   
Harry shook his head, “I can’t, Andrew, I came too far.” 

Ned stuck his head out just then. “Uh, are we heading out? I don’t know how much time I have until Peter and MJ are finished.” 

Harry glanced back at Andrew. “Yeah, sorry, just giving Andrew the rundown of the new plans.” He gave Andrew a curt nod, and moved around the car to the driver side. “Let’s go kick some Covenant ass!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I poked fun at Peter being a photographer since in the new movie the closest thing we see him doing with photography is filming with his iPhone. Fun little nod to the comic book character and the other theatrical iterations of him :)


	15. Truths Revealed, Lies Unfolded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone again for the kudos and comments! Here is the next chapter! I love putting little Easter eggs in whenever I can :)

The sleek black building loomed over them, as Peter and Michelle stood just down the steps that led to Oscorp. The building looked impenetrable from the outside, the face of it gleaming like obsidian and daring anyone to try and unearth its secrets. Peter gulped. 

“So, this is Oscorp,” he said, his eyes traveling upward to the top of the building. It peaked right at the top so that it looked more like an obelisk than a normal building. 

“Yep, think the guy’s compensating for something?” Michelle commented, adjusting her backpack on her shoulders. 

Peter grinned. “Well it still isn’t as impressive as Tony’s compound.”

“Don’t tell Mr. Osborn that. Come on, let’s get inside.” 

They walked up the stairs, dodging the employees who were leaving for the day, and joining those who were making their way inside the building. Peter grabbed Michelle’s hand, and she glanced over at him with an odd look. He gave her a nervous smile, and she squeezed his hand in return. He knew she understood how anxious he was. It felt as if suddenly everything was right there at his fingertips: the identity of the Goblin, the truth about Norman Osborn, and the truth about his own origins. Somehow it seemed scarier when it was so close. 

“How do you feel?” Michelle asked in a soft voice.

“Oh, you know, not bad considering this guy might be working with the man who wants to kill me,” Peter replied shrugging.

“No,” she shook her head. “I mean how do you feel with that… suit on underneath?”

Peter had forgotten he had stopped to put his Spider-Man suit on underneath his clothes before they had gotten to Oscorp. “Oh, well, you know, I’m used to it, so it’s not bad.” 

“All that spandex…”

“Hey! It’s not…. Spandex…” Peter blushed.

“Just kidding,” she said with a grin, and she made him let out an air laugh. He realized she was trying to get him to relax, and it was working…. A little. 

They entered through glass revolving doors and walked over to a black and mahogany receptionist stand where a young girl with dark, almost black hair, and alabaster skin was playing on her phone. She didn’t look very tall, so she must have been sitting on a bar-height chair. 

They approached her and Michelle cleared her throat, trying to get her attention. The girl looked up at Michelle first, an expression of boredom etched there, and then looked over at Peter, her eyes brightening. “Oh, hello,” she said, a smile slowly forming on her face as she looked at him. 

Peter shifted uneasily from side-to-side and Michelle just rolled her eyes. “Uh, hi, we’re here to interview Mr. Osborn. We have an appointment at five,” Michelle said curtly, moving slightly in front of Peter as if trying to block the girl’s view. 

“Names, please?” she said, directing her question more at Peter than Michelle. He coughed and scratched the back of his neck, the tightness of the suit suddenly more constricting than normal. 

“Michelle Jones,” Michelle answered, crossing her arms over her chest. 

The girl winked at Peter. “And you are?” 

“Me? Oh, um, I’m Peter, uh, Peter Parker.” 

“Hi Peter, very nice to meet you,” she said, pressing the button on the phone for what they could only assume was Mr. Osborn’s office number.

“Unbelievable,” Michelle muttered under her breath, not even looking back at Peter. 

“Yes?” the smooth, deep voice came through the speaker clearly. So that is Mr. Osborn, Peter thought. He sounded important when he spoke – very intelligent. 

“A Peter Parker, and… I’m sorry, what was your name again?” 

Michelle scoffed. “Michelle Jones!”

“Uh huh, Michelle Jones, are here to see you sir.” 

“Excellent, I’ll send someone down for them right away.” He clicked off. 

“Mr. Osborn is sending someone down.” She looked back over at Peter, then Michelle, and back over at Peter again. “So what school do you go to? I’m a Freshman at Columbia.” 

Peter looked over at Michelle who looked more pissed the minute. “Oh, well we, uh, go to Midtown High?” 

Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly. “Midtown high? Oh, you’re too cute to be in high school,” she held her hand out. “I’m Felicia Hardy.” 

“And he’s taken,” Michelle spat out, grabbing Peter’s hand and pulling him away from the desk. Peter stumbled as he was pulled unexpectedly from his spot. “The nerve,” Michelle muttered along with some pretty nasty names. 

Peter stopped, pulling her hand to make her stop walking. “Hey, hey,” he said, pulling her toward him. 

“Nope, I’m good, Peter, I’m good,” she kept shaking her head. 

“No, look,” he pointed toward the elevators. 

Coming out of the elevators and approaching them with a warm smile was a large man with dark brown hair parted down the middle. He was wearing a lab coat with a name badge clipped to the front pocket. “Miss Jones! Mr. Parker!”  
“Is that Norman Osborn?” Michelle asked Peter, looking at the man strangely.

“Doesn’t sound like him, and he looks nothing like Harry,” Peter replied. As the man got closer, Peter could make out the name on his badge. “Oh wow…” 

“What?” Michelle looked at the man, still dumbfounded.

“That’s Dr. Otto Octavius,” Peter said in awe. “He’s a leader in nuclear fusion research!”

Dr. Octavius approached them and thrusted his hand out for handshakes. “Very nice to meet the both of you. I’m,”

“Dr. Octavius, yes, Peter has filled me in,” Michelle replied, shaking the man’s hand. 

Octavius grinned wider at Peter. “A fan, eh? I have to say, kids your age don’t seem that interested in nuclear fusion.” 

“Oh, no, sir, I’ve read a lot of your research online, it’s really fascinating. I’m really into physics, sir,” Peter answered. 

“I’m impressed. What’s your interest, Miss Jones?”

“Uh, Gloria Steinem, Zora Neale Horston, Maya Angelou,” she replied.

“Ah, a feminist and literary heart. You’d like my Mary. She is very much like you, my dear.” He motioned for them to follow him back to the elevators. “We need someone like that to balance our more analytical minds, you see, Mr. Parker.” 

Michelle nudged Peter’s shoulder with hers, and he looked over at her and smiled. “Yeah, so I’m beginning to see,” he replied. 

They entered the elevator and Octavius pressed the button for floor 19. “Mr. Osborn asked me to fetch the both of you to give him a bit of time to finish something up. That man, always busy, always on the go.” 

“Is he at the office very often?” Michelle asked.

“Of course, almost every day, and sometimes long into the night. Never have you met a man more dedicated to his work than Norman Osborn.” 

“Some might say that’s unhealthy,” Michelle replied. 

“It’s true, I tell him to go home, be with his son. But that Harry, well… well, you both go to school with him, don’t you?” 

“Yeah, we’re uh, friends with him,” Peter said. 

Octavius smiled. “That’s good. It’s good for Harry to have friends that aren’t running around getting into trouble.”

“Yep, that’s us! A couple of boring non-troublemakers. We definitely do not go looking for trouble,” Peter remarked, getting another nudge from Michelle, this time sharper. 

“Well that’s good to hear. You have your future to consider after all, and from the sound of it, it’s going to be a bright one indeed.” The elevator stopped and the doors opened. “This way.” 

They followed him through the hallway, their eyes flitting from side-to-side, taking in the floor to ceiling glass walls from which they could see empty laboratories, dark yet still humming with machines. Peter had never seen such high-tech equipment before. Although he had visited the Avengers compound, he had never stepped foot in the real Stark Industries, never saw what went on behind the scenes. He wondered if it was even more amazing than what he was seeing now. Octavius led them to the last lab on the left before the hallway turned right. 

“Come, let me show you something.” 

They walked into the lab and the lights came on automatically, illuminating the different scientific devices and tools sitting on tables. As they came further into the lab, Peter noticed a large gray sheet covering something expansive in the corner. “What’s that?” he asked.

Octavius walked over to the sheet, and smiled widely. “Something I’m working on that will change the way we can research nuclear fusion.” He pulled the sheet off, revealing a metal waist harness sitting atop a stand. Attached to the harness were three long metallic arms; two of them had claws, the other did not. “These mechanical arms will theoretically be attached to the human body and will have a neuro implant that goes right into the base of the spine so that the wearer can control the arms. The metal can withstand maximum amounts of heat and will allow me to work with substances that we have never even dreamed we could touch before.” 

Peter walked up to the arms, examining them with amazement. “That’s incredible, Dr. Octavius,” he said, lifting one of the arms up. 

“Yes, well, I’m not finished yet. I don’t know if the three arms will be sufficient or if I’ll have to add more. I’m about a year away from getting them up and running.” 

“You aren’t scared about the neural implant?” Peter asked. “What if it malfunctions? It could harm you.” 

“And that, dear boy, is why Otto is still in the trial run.” 

The smooth, deep voice was unmistakable. They all turned around as Norman Osborn spoke, and Peter got his first good look at the man that kept popping up everywhere in his life. He looked like a taller version of Harry, except with a broader chest and gray streaks in his otherwise blonde slicked back hair. He walked over to them, his eyes moving from each and landing on Peter. There was something about the way he looked at Peter that made him feel uncomfortable.

“Miss Jones, I presume,” he said, his eyes moving back to Michelle. Peter could feel her guard instantly raise, her whole body tensing next to him. Norman stuck his hand out and Michelle shook it. “And that would make you Peter Parker.” He stepped an inch closer to Peter, and while he wore a smile, the rest of his body screamed intimidation. 

Peter took his hand and shook it, harder than he meant to. Norman raised an eyebrow. “Well someone taught you how a man’s supposed to shake didn’t they?” 

Peter quickly removed his hand from Norman’s grasp. “It’s nice to meet you sir,” he said, as he noticed a glint in Norman’s eyes. Perhaps it was the way the light caught them, or perhaps it was Peter’s imagination, but it almost seemed as if Norman’s eyes were glowing. 

“I’m so sorry I could not retrieve you both myself, but I was just finishing up a call with a partner of ours in California. Hopefully Otto, here, didn’t bore you too much.” 

“Oh no, this boy here is a fan!” Octavius exclaimed, patting Peter on the back. 

“Careful now, Otto, he’s also an intern for Tony.” 

Octavius looked at Peter with a touch of awestruck. “Now, how did a sixteen-year-old get an internship with Stark!? That’s very impressive.”

How did he know that? Peter thought, trying to keep his mind in the conversation. “Uh, just lucky, I guess.” 

Norman kept staring at him. “Luck, I’m sure… Harry tells me you the smartest student in the whole school.” 

“He did?” Peter felt a little humbled. “Wow, that’s really kind, but I don’t think,” 

“Yeah you are,” Michelle cut in quickly. “Mr. Osborn, we really don’t want to take too much of your time, so I do appreciate letting us come and interview.”

“Nonsense,” Norman waved his hand as if he was waving away a servant. “I love talking to students and sharing my experience with them. Everyone is so obsessed with Stark and his band of superhuman vigilantes that they forget there are other scientists out there doing real work: important work for our society.” 

Peter could hear the disdain and venom coming from Norman’s lips as he spoke about Tony. He remembered Harry’s first interaction with him all those months ago, how much he seemed to hate Tony and hated Peter because of it. He wondered how much of that hatred came from his father. 

“Yes, and I’d love to talk about that with you,” Michelle said, almost too eagerly.

“Of course, yes, well we should get to it, shouldn’t we? Otto,” He gave the other scientist a curt nod and started for the door.

“It was very nice meeting you Dr. Octavius,” Peter said, grasping his hand and shaking it rapidly. “I’m looking forward to seeing how your mechanical arms work out.” 

“Me too, Mr. Parker! And perhaps, I’ll even invite you out to see them in action!” He gave Peter’s hand a hearty shake and gave Michelle a nod goodbye. 

They left with Norman and started walking with him. “I must admit, when Harry first called me to ask me to do the interview, I almost turned it down. But when he said who would be coming, well, I couldn’t resist meeting two of his closest friends at school.”   
“Closest?” Michelle whispered to Peter, shocked that Harry would consider them his close friends. He just shrugged.

“So tell me, Mr. Parker, how are things over at Stark Industries?” 

Peter looked back at Norman. “Oh, um, it’s good, things are great, really awesome over there.” 

“What does Tony have you doing anyway? I mean, not that I mean to pry, of course, but curious minds and all.” He turned his head and flashed Peter a solid white grin.

“Oh, well, not a whole lot. Lots of filing, honestly, and uh… spreadsheets.” 

Norman frowned. “Pity.” He paused, contemplating his next statement. “If you came to intern here, we’d have you working with the scientists and lab technicians, not just filing their work.” 

“Wow, well, thank you Mr. Osborn for the offer, but I’m on a scholarship there, so…”

Norman held up a hand. “I understand. I remember what it was like when I was younger, having to rely on the generosity of others to get ahead. Tony’s never had to deal with that; he’s always been handed everything, hasn’t he? It’s probably why he cares so little for other people and their lives.” 

Peter was taken aback by Norman’s assault on Tony’s character. Tony was not an uncaring ogre like Norman described him, at least not when it came to Peter, and from what Peter could tell, not about anyone else. He could hear Michelle furiously writing on a notepad she had pulled out. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t talk about Tony like that, he is after all, your boss,” Norman said, looking back at Peter with a rakish grin.

“Oh, it’s um, okay, you’d be surprised how many people don’t like him,” Peter said, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“Mr. Osborn, can I ask what made you become so successful?” Michelle asked. Peter looked back at her and she gave him a look. He had to admit she knew how to keep up the act.

“My wife, Emily. When she was alive, she was everything,” Peter could hear him choke up a bit. He glanced at Michelle, who craned her neck further toward him to hear what he was saying. “When I was at MIT, I used to run around with Tony, did you know that?” Peter shook his head. “But then I met Emily, and she changed my whole life. Settled me down, convinced me to go into business for myself, even though Tony offered me a job at Stark Industries…” he paused as they reached the door to a glass-walled conference room. “But then she got sick, and I couldn’t help her and… those that could, wouldn’t.” His eyes darkened. He looked dangerous and that glint become evident again. He regained his composure and opened the door. “But I promised her I’d take our dream and make it happen, and here we are.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss Mr. Osborn,” Michelle said as they followed him into the room. 

“Yes, thank you.” He sat down at the head of the table, and Michelle sat down to his right. 

Peter hesitated, realizing his chance. “Uh, actually, Mr. Osborn, where’s the bathroom?”

Norman raised his eyebrows. “The bathroom?”

“Yeah, my stomach isn’t, er, feeling so well,” he said, clutching it in mock pain. 

“Oh no, did you eat that disgusting looking meatloaf at lunch today?” Michelle said, resting her elbow on the table and giving Peter a mock look of terror.

Peter glanced at Norman, who had leaned back in his chair, observing Peter with interest. “Uh, yeah, babe,” he cringed as soon as that nickname came out of his mouth, and he could see Michelle also cringing. “So, um,”

“Yes, yes, down the hall and to your left.” Norman pointed in the direction he needed to go.

“Awesome, thank you so much,” Peter said, rushing out the door. He headed in the direction Norman had told him, heading toward the bathroom. He slipped inside and closed the locked the door. “Okay,” he said, blowing air out of his mouth as he searched the ceiling for a camera. He found one in the upper right-hand corner of the room. He slipped inside one of the stalls and pulled his sleeve back, revealing his web shooter and activated it, spitting a thick net of webbing over the camera lens. 

He then undressed out of his jeans and sweater and slipped his mask on. “Okay, Karen.” 

“Hello Peter. Why are we at Oscorp?”

“How did you? Never mind. We are doing some recon,” he said, stuffing his clothes in his backpack and stepping out of the stall. 

“I thought Tony said he was handling Norman Osborn.” 

“Yeah, okay, he is, but not fast enough.”

“Should I alert him?”

“What! No, no, no, don’t call him! Are you crazy Karen!?” 

“No, I cannot be crazy. I do not have the neurotransmitters required to process those types of emotions.” 

Peter sighed. “Right, okay. Just don’t call Mr. Stark.” He slipped out of the bathroom and hugged the wall, slowly climbing up onto the ceiling. “Hey Karen, can you find out where Mr. Osborn’s office is?” 

“Of course, let me pull up the building’s directory.” A virtual picture of the building layout pulled up in Peter’s view. “It appears you are on the right floor. It is around this corner, about ten doors down.” 

“Thanks Karen.” Peter then unleashed his drone. “Okay little buddy, keep a look out for cameras.” The small spider-like drone flew ahead of him, and Peter watched its monitor on his own screen as he crawled toward Osborn’s office. Peter had to cover two more cameras before he made it. 

He dropped down and jiggled the knob. “Dammit, it’s locked. Karen, scan the door, see if there’s any type of surprise, waiting for me. You know, like laser beams that sound an alarm, or some old fashioned guillotine.”   
“Doesn’t look like it. Just locked,” Karen answered after a moment. 

Peter crouched down. “Hmm, you’d think a guy in this scary of a building and giving drugs to criminals to sell would have a better security system for his office.” He took hold of the knob and gave it a sharp turn with force, breaking it off. “Oops,” he said sarcastically. “Sorry Mr. Osborn, guess you’re gonna need a new door!” He pushed the door open. “Okay dronie, keep watch for me.” The drone steadied itself in front of the door. 

Peter’s eyes searched around the room, taking in Norman’s bare, modernistic office. If he wanted anyone to know anything about him, they weren’t going to look at his office for information. There were no pictures on the walls or on the shelves. None of his wife, and most notably none of his living son. Peter felt a pang of pity for Harry just then, realizing how much Norman did not care for his own flesh and blood. He noticed Norman’s laptop sitting on top of the desk surrounded by a small metal pen holder with just two plain black pens, and a black leather planner sitting to its right. Peter rushed over to the laptop and opened it up. 

“Okay, Mr. Osborn, let’s see what you’re doing for the Goblin.” He started working on hacking into the system, first figuring out the password combination to the laptop. Once logged in, Peter opened the file viewer and clicked through the different folders. He knew that Norman Osborn wouldn’t keep this type of information on his company’s computer network. If the FBI or anyone else ever got wind of it, he’d want to make sure no information could be traced back to the company. Peter didn’t know much about business, but he knew that this type of stuff, dealing drugs with criminals, was not something one wanted to keep in a lot of places.

Peter found a locked folder. “Aha!” he got into the back system and unlocked it, files popping open one-by-one on the screen. Sketches and data files all about a substance called Oz, started opening up, along with a file on the design of a glider of some kind, and detailed design specs for the mechanical scorpion suit that Mac Gargan was wearing. Peter felt the hairs on his arms raise up as he looked through the design, a sick realization washing over him. Norman Osborn was helping the Goblin; that was the only answer. He found a file with addresses. “Karen, show me the location of these addresses.” 

A map popped upon his mask screen with pinpoints on the three different addresses. He recognized one immediately as the old nightclub he had done surveillance where he had witnessed the Oz in action the first time. Two other locations, spread further out in other parts of New York City. “They must be other secret labs,” he muttered to himself. “Okay, let’s get this stuff downloaded.” He pulled a thumb drive out of his backpack and stuck it into the computer. He moved the files over onto the thumb drive, and continued exploring while they uploaded. He pulled open the files regarding the Oz. He looked at the formula, and notes regarding the super soldier serum. 

It looked as if they were trying to recreate the serum used on Steve Rogers, all those years ago. He knew that Dr. Banner had tried, which was why he ended up as the Hulk, sometimes. Peter looked through the notes and noticed something so insignificant to anyone else, but so significant to him. 

Reviews of prior serum formula suggest that serum mixtures with animal DNA dulled effects of serum. Looking for new biochemical mixtures that would affect human DNA stronger. Preparing human trials before presenting to Department of Defense.  
Peter felt his breath catch in his throat. “Animal DNA,” he whispered. 

Suddenly, his miniature drone started beeping. “Someone is coming,” Karen announced. 

“Crap,” Peter muttered, closing out the files and staring at the upload bar. 75% was completed. “How long?” 

The drone camera popped up and showed a security guard coming toward the room. Peter glanced back at the screen. 85%. His drone flew into the room, toward Peter and attached itself to his chest. Peter could hear the footsteps quicken as the security guard realized Osborn’s door was open. Peter clenched the table. “Come on, come on.” 95%, 96%, 98%, 99%....

When it hit 100%, Peter pulled the thumb drive out and slammed the laptop shut. He grabbed his backpack and slid underneath the desk. He heard the security guard enter the room. “Who’s there!?” the guard called out hesitantly. Luckily, the security guard had a heavy foot, which made it easy for Peter to guess where he was walking. Peter crept around the right side of the desk, hearing the guard make his way around the desk. Peter’s heart was racing, and he wished he had some crazy cloaking ability. Why couldn’t I have been bitten by a radioactive chameleon? He thought as he pressed his body up against the desk. The guard seemed satisfied that no one was there, and Peter could hear his footsteps leaving the office. Peter slowly stood up and crept toward the door. “Dronie,” he whispered, the drone coming to life on his chest. It zipped off toward the door, close to the ceiling so it wouldn’t attract attention. The drone’s camera showed that the security guard had entered into the elevator, and Peter knew he was free to go. He made his way back to the bathroom that he had changed in and ran inside, throwing his street clothe back on over top of his suit. 

Sweating a little bit from all the running around, he headed back toward the conference room. When he neared it, Mr. Osborn and Michelle were just exiting. 

“I’m sure he’s okay, Mr. Osborn, I’ll go check on him,” He heard Michelle say quickly.

“That’s adorable, Miss Jones, but if he’s sick, we have medical staff on hand who could attend to… Oh, look.” They both stopped as they saw him approach. 

Peter wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. “Hi, hey, I’m so sorry. I feel a lot better now.” 

“You sure you’re okay?” Michelle asked, eyeing him knowingly. He nodded, staring just as hard at her. 

“Oh yeah, completely fine. I think it’s out of my system. I’m so sorry though I couldn’t be a part of the interview.” He looked at Mr. Osborn who was staring at him hard, trying to figure out if he was lying or not. 

“Well…” Mr. Osborn sighed. “That is good to hear. A pity though we didn’t get to speak.” 

“Oh yeah, it really is,” Peter said. 

“Right, well, let’s head off then, shall we?” Mr. Osborn beckoned them to follow him to the elevator. Peter caught up to Michelle who leaned in close.

“You got it?” she whispered. He nodded. “Impressive,” she breathed. 

As they made their way toward the elevator, Peter’s eyes caught something through one of the lab windows. “What…” he stopped short, his eyes not believing what he was seeing. 

Mr. Osborn and Michelle both stopped as well. “What is it?” Michelle asked. 

Peter couldn’t help it. He walked toward the door of the lab, and it opened up at his presence. 

“Ah, yes, it’s not every day you see something like that is it?” Mr. Osborn said, following him inside. 

Inside of the laboratory was a glass case as wide and tall as the side of the room, and house inside were spiders. Black spiders, hundreds of them, weaving their webs, which glistened in the fluorescent light. Peter glanced to the right and saw a computer screen running data on the spiders. He walked over to the screen. “Wha…what is this?” he stammered. 

Mr. Osborn sighed. “This, I’m afraid is a failed experiment. A couple of years ago, we were working on a way to cross species genetics to create a stronger species. We tried on spiders, as they are a unique species with special qualities, but alas, the serum we created never seemed to take effect.” 

Peter suddenly felt Michelle’s presence beside him. She took his hand and squeezed it. “So, what was the serum designed to do?” 

“Increase strength, as it were, and if infused with the spider’s abilities, like these spiders are of the jumping spider variety. They can climb on walls and adhere to surfaces with a grip of up to 170 times their own weight. Unfortunately, the spiders never showed any signs of any increase in abilities, those that survived the injection at least.” 

“Survived?! You mean some died?” Peter asked nervously. 

“Yes, don’t tell PETA on us please,” He joked. Michelle rolled her eyes at Mr. Osborn’s joke. “But some of the spiders we actually did send off to different zoos, and museums, for educational purposes.” 

Peter felt Michelle’s hand tighten around his. “Oh wow, that’s really nice of you,” Peter squeaked out, his throat suddenly dry. 

“Yes, well, it’s something. These are what we have left. Relics of dreams long gone.” He glanced at the monitor. “You know, when we began this experiment, Tony was actually involved briefly.”

Peter felt his stomach drop. “Mr. Stark?” 

“Oh yes. His team at Stark Industries was very interested in the project, and it was the first time in a very long time the two of us worked together. However, it was short lived…”

The air around Peter was thick, making it hard for him to breathe. He had always wondered how Tony knew about his powers. He thought it was just surveillance, but he was wrong. Whatever else Mr. Osborn was saying, Peter didn’t register, the man’s voice becoming farther away.

“Peter… Peter,” He suddenly became aware of Michelle shaking him. “Are you okay?” 

Peter looked at her and then at Mr. Osborn who looked at him with fierce interest. “Ye…yeah… just zoned out there.” 

Michelle looked concerned. “I think it’s time we get you home,” she decided, looking back at Mr. Osborn. “We can show ourselves out, sir. Thank you so much for your time.” 

Mr. Osborn shook her hand, and then shook Peter’s. “Of course, and thank you for the interview. I look forward to seeing the final project in the school paper.” He then looked at Peter. “And Peter, if you’re ever interested in talking science, you know where to find me.” 

Peter nodded, barely focusing on Mr. Osborn’s words. He could feel Michelle pulling on his arm, leading him to the elevators. 

“Peter, I’m gonna need you to hold it together for like five more minutes,” Michelle muttered as she pressed the elevator button multiple times. “Jesus, why does this building need fourteen floors?” She glanced back at Mr. Osborn who was leaning against the lab door frame observing them carefully. She gave him a fake smile and turned back forward. “He might be the creepiest man I’ve ever met,” she continued. “Did you see his eyes? I swear they were glowing.” 

The elevator came and Michelle pushed Peter inside. They made their way down to the first floor in silence. Peter knew she wanted to talk, but she knew that in that elevator was not the time nor place. So as soon as they were out of the building and turning a corner, she pulled him into an alleyway. 

“Okay, Peter, you need to snap out of this weird trance thing,” she stated, grabbing his shoulders. 

Peter looked directly at her. “He knew, MJ. He knew the whole time.” 

Michelle looked at him sadly. “I know, Peter. I’m sorry.” 

“That’s why he didn’t want me doing this, looking into the Osborn lead. He knew what I’d find. How could he…. I thought Mr. Stark cared about me!?” At that moment, Peter knew what he needed to do. He pulled his phone out and dialed Tony’s number. 

“Peter, don’t do this. You’re upset,” Michelle started, but Peter cut her off.

“Mr. Stark?” 

Tony’s voice came through loud and clear. “Kid, seriously. I’m a little busy at the moment.” 

“A little busy? What is it this time?” Peter said sarcastically. 

“Jesus, teenagers. If you must know, I’m on a plane back to the States from Wakanda. Say hi to T’Challa.” 

“Who is this?” another voice came on with a strong African accent. 

“The kid, the, uh, spider kid,” Tony replied.

“Kid? He is a kid?”

“Yeah, I know, surprise, look, Peter, whatever is going on, I don’t have time-“

“I know,” Peter said darkly, cutting him off.

There was a pause on the other line. “You know what?” Tony finally replied.

Peter scoffed and looked at Michelle. She was shaking her head, begging him not to say anything. “The serum, my powers… how could you… it makes so much sense now. … I can’t…” He could barely make out a sentence. 

He heard Tony sigh. “Your highness, if you’ll excuse me… Peter, okay, look, I thought I told you not to go snooping around. I told you I’d handle this and,”

“Too late!” Peter exclaimed. “I know you were a part of creating the spider serum!”

“Okay, Peter, yes, I was part of it, but look,” 

“No, I’m tired of you lying to me and treating me like a kid! Everyone keeps treating me like I need to be protected from everything, but I don’t!” 

“Peter, listen to me, Peter –“

Peter hung up the phone. Tony’s number appeared on his screen moments later, but Peter ignored it, throwing his phone into his backpack. His vision seemed clouded with the red anger he felt at that moment. He thought going to Osborn’s would bring answers, and he was right; just not the answers that he wanted or expected. He looked down at his feet, clenching his fist so hard his knuckles started turning white. 

Michelle approached him hesitantly. “Peter,”

“I gotta go,” he said suddenly, kicking his shoes off and pulling his shirt off. 

“Go? Go where?” Michelle asked in alarm. 

He threw his clothes at his backpack, and pulled his mask over his head. “I’ll see you later.” 

“Wait, what!? Peter, don’t leave, please. Let’s just,” 

He didn’t wait around to hear what Michelle had to say, and jumped up, shooting out his web and swinging off. Michelle stared after him in shock. She then looked down at his mess of clothes on top of his backpack and groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”


	16. We All Get a Little Tricked Sometimes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the best readers! thank you for sticking with me on this and all of the kind comments :). Here is your next chapter! Enjoy!!!

He watched the two teens exit the building from the window of his office. “So, you saw no one enter or leave my office?” he asked testily, as the heavy-set security guard and a slimmer, taller man in a black suit stood behind him.

“N…N… No sir,” the security guard stammered, gulping. He was rubbing his hat roughly between his hands. “I just saw your door opened and so I came in to investigate.”

“And you didn’t notice the knob broken on my door handle?”

“No, sir I did not.”

“So, what am I paying you for?” The security guard blanched. “And the cameras?” He looked to the man in the black suit. “What do they show?”

“Nothing sir,” the man answered. “They seemed to be blocked by something. So, we checked the ones that were blocked and found this covering the lens.” He lifted his hand and in it were pieces of spiderweb. “We found some in the bathroom down the hall as well.”

Norman’s nostrils flared from anger. “WHAT!? He was here, in my office, and none of you knew about it!”

“Sir, we checked every camera, and there is no sign of his entry. We aren’t sure how he got in.”

Suddenly the speaker on his desk phone sprang to life. “Mr. Osborn?” Felicia’s voice rang out.

“What is it Felicia! I am in the middle of something!” He barked angrily.

“Oh, I’m sorry sir, but May is here to see you, something about a date?”

Mr. Osborn froze as something finally clicked in his mind. He took a deep breath to recover from his outburst. “Oh yes, I’m so sorry Felicia, tell her I’ll be right down.” He looked back up at the security guard and the man in the black suit. “That will be all.”  
  
“But sir,” the man in the black suit protested.

“I’ll take care of it from here,” Norman said tersely, shutting down any further objections.

The man nodded and grabbed the security guard, pulling him from the room. Once they had left, Norman started pacing back and forth in his office. The boy, he thought bitterly. The boy had something to do with this. He let Spider-Man into the building somehow. He must have let him in when he had gone to the bathroom. I knew he had been gone for too long. And that little brat of a girlfriend was covering for him. I can’t believe it. He works for Stark, and therefore, knows Spider-Man. Just like I thought. I am tired of waiting for answers.

He composed himself and left his office, grabbing his coat as he went. He headed down to the lobby, Peter Parker still on his mind. He wondered how a sixteen-year-old boy could have such powerful friends. Tony Stark, Spider-Man… it didn’t make sense. He exited the elevator and saw May Parker waiting for him, her long, auburn hair flowing over her blue pea coat. He gave her his best smile and walked over to her, kissing her cheek. “I am so sorry about that my dear. Something urgent had come up and I nearly forgot.”

She gave him a small smile, that seemed forced. “It’s fine, Norman, it really is fine.”

“Wonderful, all right, let’s get to dinner, shall we?” He led her out of the building, waving to his receptionist as they passed.

“Yes, dinner, well, Norman, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about, first.” They stopped out front, where a black Town Car was waiting for them.

“Well, whatever it is, we can talk about it at dinner. I know I made reservations for 7:30 and we are already running a little bit behind schedule…”

“No, no, Norman, listen to me,” May stopped him, adjusting her glasses. “Look,” She took a step back from him, and Norman narrowed his eyes. “When we first met, it was great, really. You and me, I don’t usually go for super smart guys, but I thought we clicked. However, the last couple of weeks, I feel like things have gotten… how do I put this… strange? Borderline psychotic?”

Norman could feel a small tick of anger gnawing at him. He tried to push it down. “May, I completely understand, but things have just gotten a little crazy lately, work and Harry, and I’m sure you know with your nephew, Peter.”

She shook her head. “No, Norman, I don’t think this is some temporary thing. You get so angry quickly; the other day when we were at dinner, you nearly got us kicked out over the bill.”

“She shouldn’t have charged me for that bottle, it wasn’t the right year,” he insisted.

“Okay Norman, do you even hear yourself? I really thought this could work, and I thought you’d be a good role model for Peter, but that anger, those outbursts? I don’t know what your parenting style is, but I can’t have that around Peter. He may not be my biological son, but he’s as close as I’ll ever get.” She adjusted her purse. “I think we need to break up.”

Norman could feel his control slipping away. “Yes, your precious Peter, he needs protection, doesn’t he?” he said a nasty snarl appearing on his face. “Even when he has friends in high places?”

She reared her head back in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

Norman quickly recovered. “Tony of course, he does intern for him still, right?”

She looked at him warily. “Yes, he does, but what does that… Look Norman, I’m very sorry, but I have to go.”

She started walking away, and Norman glowered at her back. “May, please, let’s just go to dinner and talk about this.” He stalked toward her and grabbed her wrist.

“What? Norman, let go of me please. It’s over, please.” She tried to pull away, but he just tightened his grip on her and pulled her close to him.

“I’m sorry May, but this is going to hurt,” He whipped his head back quickly and forced it forward, knocking her in the head. She collapsed in his arms. “a little…” He held her against him as if she had just fainted on him, and wiped the drizzle of blood that had started to come out of her nose. “Oh my, we need to get you somewhere to lie down,” he said pulling her to the car.

The driver jumped out and ran to open the door. “Is she okay, sir?” he asked, helping Norman put May into the car.

“Yes, she just fainted. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but I think she might not be feeling well.”

“Should we take her to the hospital?”

“No, no, let’s take her back to my house, and I’ll call one of my private physicians to come look at her.” He climbed in after May and shut the door behind him.

* * *

 

“Dude, grab the grenade launcher, grab the grenade launcher… Yes! Nice job man!” Harry jumped up and high-fived Ned.

Ned grinned. “Yeah, take that EvilMike4157!”

“Game Over,” the TV announced, the scoreboard pulling up.

“Dude, your high score!” Harry exclaimed. “Congrats man.”

“Thanks, been getting a lot practice,” Ned replied, shutting off the console. “Want something to eat? My mom left a lasagna in the fridge.” He stood up and stretched out.

“Yeah, sure thing. Where’s your parents anyway?”

“Oh, well mom works the night shift at Queens Memorial, and tonight is dad’s in some bowling league so, he’s there right now,” Ned replied, walking out of the room and to the kitchen. Harry followed him. “But this is a rare occasion I’m home by myself. What about you?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “My dad is usually never home at nights. Although he has been trying to institute these dinners. It’s like that all the time when I first get moved to a new school. He tries to be a devoted father, or whatever, and then eventually work takes over.”

“Man… that sucks,” Ned said finally, pulling the lasagna out of the fridge. He gestured toward Harry, offering some to him, but Harry shook his head.

“It is what it is. They always say money doesn’t buy happiness; my father is living proof of that. He is always in a bad mood.” He jumped up onto the counter top. “So, is this what you and Peter usually do when you hang out? Play video games and eat leftovers?”

“Uh, sometimes,” Ned said lightly, quickly turning away from Harry to cut a piece of lasagna for himself. He slipped a piece onto a plate and threw it in the microwave. “We do other cooler stuff too.”

“Oh yeah?” Harry smirked. “Somehow, I have a hard time believing that, no offense.”

“No, we do, I mean we built my entire Lego Death Star, and we are about to start my Kylo Ren TIE Fighter.”

“Whoa, living on the edge,” Harry said, shaking his hands in mock amazement. Ned blushed. “Sorry, it’s just, Peter doesn’t seem the type who likes to get into trouble. He kind of has a moral superiority thing going on.”

Ned snorted. “Yeah, I guess that’s what you get when you’re…” he trailed off. “Never mind.” The microwave continued cooking, filling up the awkward silence.

“Hey, what time is it?” Harry suddenly asked, pulling his phone out.

Ned did the same thing. “It’s 9 o’clock,” he answered. He paused and then scrolled through his phone, frowning. “Wow, it’s kind of late, huh?”

“Yeah, I thought you said you were meeting Peter and MJ later,” Harry replied casually.

“I was, but they haven’t called yet…” Ned trailed off, checking his phone for texts. Harry watched him intently, a small smile quickly forming on his face. He tried to conceal it as Ned looked back up at him. “That’s weird.” Harry just chuckled. “What?”

“Come on man!” Harry exclaimed. “You know what they are doing! I mean, I’d be doing the same thing, if I had a girlfriend.”

Ned shook his head. “No, no, we had something important to do, and Peter promised.” He grabbed his phone and checked his text messages again. “Come on Peter,” he muttered. “You promised.”

“Call him,” Harry suggested. “I mean maybe they just forgot.”

Ned stared at his phone. “No… yeah, no, yeah, yeah, okay, I’ll call him.” He pulled Peter’s number up and dialed it.

“Hey now, speakerphone,” Harry said, pressing the speaker button.

They both stood there listening to the phone ring repeatedly. Harry watched Ned’s face, growing more anxious, growing angrier. After the sixth ring, Peter’s voicemail came on.

“Hey it’s Peter! Can’t come to the phone right now, leave me a message!” then the beep.

Ned hung up the phone, his eyes not meeting Harry’s. “Told you, Dude,” Harry said, jumping off the counter. He glanced at Ned who dialed Peter’s number again, this time taking it off speaker and holding it to his ear. When the voicemail came on again, Ned hung up, and slammed his cell phone onto the counter. “Sorry, man. That’s what happens.” Harry shrugged. “Girlfriends have a way of taking up all of your time. I mean it’s worth it, don’t get me wrong, but yeah if you’re the friend, it sucks. I gotta admit, I don’t even know how he would have time for a girlfriend anyway. I thought his internship with Stark kept him soo busy after school.”

“Psht, yeah right,” Ned muttered, still staring at the phone.

“What do you mean?” Harry craned his neck, to listen closer to Ned.

Ned seemed to hesitate. “It’s not real,” He admitted.

Harry could feel his stomach tighten. Not real? Shit, he was lying? Oh man, dad is going to be so pissed, he thought. “Oh, wow, he’s lying about it? Why would he do that?” he asked, his voice hollow. He could see his freedom drifting away from him. He could see himself in a suit standing next to his father, a prisoner for the rest of his life.

“B…b…because he’s Spider-Man all right?!” Ned exclaimed loudly. The air in the entire room was sucked in at that moment until Ned let out a loud sigh. Harry stared at him in disbelief. He wondered if Ned was playing with him.

“Okay, Ned, sure, and I’m really Thor,” Harry replied, getting angrier. He already lost and it was like Ned somehow knew to rub it in his face.

“I’m serious, okay?! And you can’t tell Peter I told you, or he’ll kill me for sure. But it’s true, I mean it.”

Harry saw the seriousness in Ned’s eyes then. “You’re telling me, Peter Parker, is running around in spandex saving people?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you. Man, it feels so good to get that off my chest. He told me we couldn’t tell anyone, but MJ and Aunt May know, and it’s so stupid, right? I mean we all know who Iron Man is, The Hulk, Black Widow… why does Peter have to hide?”

“Come on, Ned. He’s lying to you!” Harry exclaimed, getting frustrated.

“No! No, I’m serious, look…” He unlocked his phone and pulled up a video of Peter doing flips and climbing up the side of the wall in some alleyway, no adhesive gloves, or harness. Harry’s eyes widened. He wasn’t lying. Harry felt as if he could breathe again.

“How did it happen? I mean Pete is not strong…”

“Oh yeah he is,” Ned laughed. “We went on a field trip to the science museum, and he got bit by a spider like a year and a half ago that was radioactive. Gave him his powers.”

Harry just stared at the video as it played on a continuous loop. “You’re really not kidding.”

Ned shook his head. “Nope! But please, you’re not going to tell Peter I told you right? He’d probably never speak to me again. It’s just… been so hard to keep this a secret right? And Peter, he’s good at lying to people, I’m not. And you’ve gotten really close to us, so it shouldn’t be a big deal, but Peter will probably freak out. So please don’t tell him; you won’t right Harry?”

Harry felt all his fears suddenly vanish. A new confidence washed over him as he realized what this information meant. He was going to be free. “Yeah, Ned, I won’t tell Peter, I promise.”

* * *

 

The air was chilly as Peter swung through the air. His heart was still racing from the anger he felt at Tony for lying to him about knowing where the spider had come from and what was inside Peter; the anger at Norman Osborn, who hurt his son and worked against Peter to help a psychopath; and the anger at himself for leaving Michelle alone so he could sulk. She didn’t deserve that, and he knew it. She wanted to help him, she wanted to be with him, and he just cut her out. He felt pathetic.

“Peter, you seem upset, are you all right?” Karen asked him, as he flipped between two buildings.

“I’m fine Karen….” He then had a thought. “Karen did you know that Mr. Stark had made the serum that turned me into Spider-Man?”

“I did not know that, Peter,” she replied. “That is very interesting.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if interesting is the right word,” Peter muttered.

“Then what is?”

“I mean… It’s an expression, Karen,” he sighed. Suddenly, his Spidey senses started tingling, and he perched himself on the ledge of a ten-story apartment building. “Karen, did you hear that?”

He knew the sound as soon as he heard it. The mechanical creaks and heavy concreate breaking footsteps were unmistakable. While it had been a while since he had heard it, but he knew exactly who it belonged to. “Well hello there Scorpio!” He called out.

He turned around just in time to see Gargan flinging several barbs in his direction, which Peter could only assume were laced with some type of sedative. Peter jumped and twisted into a side flip to avoid them. “They fly out now? Well that’s a cool upgrade! Mr. Osborn think of that? Didn’t trust you to get the job done close up?!” Peter taunted.

Mac clenched his mechanical arm. “Look at the little spider… been sneaking around places you don’t belong, now eh?”

Peter smirked under his mask. “So, Osborn sent you, didn’t he? So, what, you have two bosses? Man, that’s gotta suck, especially since you used to be in charge of your own gang!”

He flipped up into the air, spun out his webs toward Gargan, one of them wrapping around the edge of his long metal tail that whipped around furiously behind him, and landed directly in front of him, going in for a kick to his chest. Mac was ready though, and grabbed Peter’s foot, twisting him around, landing him on his back. Peter braced himself with his palms and feet and pushed himself up quickly. “You have no idea what you’re talking about you little pest,” Mac said grinning devilishly.   
Peter got into a fighting stance. “Oh, I think I do,” he said confidently, and then he charged Mac, who swung his tail around, Peter leaping over it and shot out his webs toward Mac’s face, trying to blind him.

Mac ducked and thrusted his metal arm attachment out, hitting Peter square in the chest. Peter grunted as he flew back, only saving himself from landing on the ground again by whipping out his webs, securing them to the side of the building, flipping up and over, landing on the edge.

Mac went running toward him, and Peter grinned under his mask. “Let’s play a game of “Catch Me If You Can!” He called out, swinging over to the next building. Mac leapt across, just narrowly making it, his metal-laden heel digging into the edge of the next building over, breaking some of the roof off. Peter wanted to beat him, he was determined to show him, and the Goblin, and Mr. Osborn that Peter, no, Spider-Man was not someone they wanted to mess with.

Peter turned around. “Web grenades!” He shot out a few as Karen switched his settings, one of them hitting Mac on the side. It stifled his charge, making him stumble, the weight of his tail causing him to fall forward onto both hands.

Peter ran towards him, shooting out his web net, but Mac was quick, lashing out his tail, a sharp knife-like end suddenly appearing that cut through the webbing easily. Peter ground to a halt, shocked. “What the hell?”

Mac looked up at him and grinned. “Surprise,” he said, lunging for Peter, grabbing him by the shoulders and throwing him over the edge of the building.

Peter was falling, ten stories down, and ducked and rolled fast and hard landing into a parked car. “Uhhh,” Peter moaned, as he slowly got up. “Karen, what kind of metal is that thing made out of?”

“It appears it is some type of vibranium compound,” Karen replied.

“Oh, yeah, of course he has vibranium knives in his tail now,” Peter muttered. He looked around, not seeing him anywhere. “Where did he go?”

“I’m not sure, but MJ has appeared on my scanners.”

“MJ, what…”

“There you are!”

Peter whirled around and saw Michelle stalking toward him, her curls frizzy and face beaded with sweat. She was carrying both of their backpacks. “MJ, what are you doing!?” Peter exclaimed, his head frantically turning around to look for Mac. “You have to leave now!”

She dropped the backpacks. “Leave!? Peter, you left me in an alley with your stuff, getting all moody on me so you can play superhero!? I have been walking around all over Queens trying to find you! You can’t just leave like that!”

“MJ, now is not the time, please,” Peter begged. “Mac is somewhere around here, and – “

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

Peter watched as Michelle froze. She slowly turned her head as Mac dropped down behind her, his predatory gaze stuck to her.

“Looks like Spider-Man got himself a little black widow,” Mac said, licking his lips.

Michelle’s eyes widened. “EXCUSE ME!? What the hell did he just call me? You racist, mother-“

In one swift motion, Peter lashed out a web to lasso Michelle, at the same time as Mac’s tail swung out to grab her. Peter’s web just missed his tail, which tightened quickly around Michelle’s waist, making her cry out in alarm. Mac raised her up high, dangling her in front of Peter.

“LET HER GO!” Peter shouted.

Mac grinned at him. “What’s the matter, itty bitty baby spider? Is she important to you or something? She’s a cute little thing, I’ll tell you that, even if she has a big mouth.” He lowered her down in front of him, MJ swearing rampantly. Mac kept his same devilish smile and brought her close to him, licking the side of her face. “Yummy.”

“Stop it!” Peter exclaimed, watching in horror as Michelle shuddered and struggled under Mac’s bondage. Peter ran toward him, lashing out several web grenades. Mac dodged them, throwing Michelle around with him.   
“Now it’s your turn to chase,” Mac said, taking off down the street.

Never in his life had he ever wanted to activate Instant Kill before. Peter raced after Mac, his eyes fixated on MJ, who was crying out and trying to get out of Mac’s grip. “I’m coming MJ!” he shouted using his webs and the buildings to close the distance between him and Mac.

“Peter, I’m going to kill you!” MJ shouted back as she continued struggling, jumping up and climbing the side of a building, digging his metal suit into the brick to make himself holes for footing.

Peter grimaced as he swung up, landing against the building and crawling fast toward them. “Karen, I need to catch him because I think MJ might be serious.”

“So do I,” Karen agreed. “If you swing to the side of the building to your right and then up and over, you should be able to cut him off.”

“Perfect.” Peter took Karen’s suggestion, and instead of following him up, cut to the right and swung out and around and up. He flipped in the air and landed directly in front of Mac, shocking him into dropping MJ.

Peter swung his leg out, and did a low roundhouse kick, swiping Mac’s legs out from underneath him. Under the heavy armored suit, he crashed to the ground. Mac’s tail flailed around as he attempted to strike Peter with it, but Peter was able to grab it and swing Mac around throwing him flat on his back. Peter then jumped on top of him and took a fist to Mac’s face. With the first punch, he heard a pop, and then with the other he heard Mac growl with pain.

“Peter!” MJ shouted, getting to her feet. “Peter stop!”

He didn’t want to stop. The man wanted to kidnap him, and he hurt MJ. He was a murderer, a con artist. He deserved it. He worked for the Goblin, he worked for Mr. Osborn. Everything he was feeling came to a head as he pummeled against Mac’s face. Mac grabbed Peter’s suit from the back, and Peter could feel Mac pull him off, flinging him across the rooftop, and Peter rolled, catching himself on his hands and feet. He jumped up and flung out his webs toward Mac, trapping him against the side of the rooftop door structure. “If you ever touch her again,” Peter seethed charging up to him, shoulders seizing as he breathed heavily.

“Peter, we have to get out of here!” MJ shouted racing up to him and grabbing his upper arm.

He pulled his arm out of her grasp. “Not now MJ. He hurt you,”

“But I’m fine, and he’s trapped. So, let’s get out of here before he gets freed.”

“You should listen to your little girlfriend there… Peter,” Mac said through gasping breaths. He spat out a thick wad of blood. Peter stumbled back away from him, startled by Mac’s use of his real name. He looked back at MJ whose eyes went wide. “Who’s Peter?” Mac said, grinning. “I’m sure my boss would love to know that…”

Peter threw one last punch to his face, knocking him out. Mac’s head went limp, falling forward. He then shoved his fist into the chest plat of his armor, pulling out the wiring. “There, good luck getting to him.”   
He turned and grabbed MJ’s hand. “Come on.”

“Peter, I’m sorry, I completely forgot, I didn’t realize…” She stopped short.

“Hey, hey!” Peter grabbed her shoulders. “It’s okay, it’s okay, he hasn’t seen my face. There’s probably thousands of Peters in New York City. It’s fine.” He rubbed her shoulders, realizing she wasn’t wearing her coat. The temperature had to have dropped twenty degrees since the sun went down. “Come here,” he pulled her toward him, hugging her tightly.

“I’m so stupid, look at me,” she mumbled burying her head in his neck.

“Hey, it’s your first time fighting a bad guy, it’s a little overwhelming,” Peter replied, trying to calm her. She pulled back and stared at him with her usual intense stare, except her eyes were red and wet with tears.

“I don’t even know what you’re thinking right now,” she said starting at his mask. “It’s so weird….”

Peter pulled his mask off. “There, here’s what I’m thinking.” He hoped she could see the terror he felt when he saw Mac grab her, the anger he felt toward Mac, the Goblin, Osborn, even Tony.

She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him hard on the lips. “Don’t run away from me again,” she said sternly, hugging him again. She grabbed his hand. “We have to get out of here before he gets up.” Peter nodded, put his mask back on, and then picked her up, holding her body horizontally across his as if he was whisking her through the door of their honeymoon suite. “What the hell are doing?!” she exclaimed, kicking her legs involuntarily.

“How do you think we’re getting down?” Peter asked her, looking confused.

“The stairs of course!” She said, pointing to the door that led to the stairs going down the building.

“In this outfit?!” Peter retorted. “It’ll be fun, hold on.”

“No, Peter, now’s the time I should tell you, I really hate…” She cried out as Peter jumped, releasing a web and swinging them down to the street where their backpacks still lay. Peter gave her a huge grin as he released her and in turn she gave him the middle finger and walked over to retrieve her backpack. If she were any other person, Peter would have been shocked and hurt, but with Michelle, it was endearing. He grabbed her hand and led her quickly out of the middle of the street toward the nearest alleyway. There he changed out of his suit and back into his normal teenage clothes, Michelle going on about Mac Gargan and how much she wanted to punch him in the face too although she didn’t want Peter to kill him. He assured her that he wouldn’t kill him; that wasn’t something Peter would do.

However, in that moment, it briefly crossed his mind. He had Gargan right there, weak and dominated. He was a murderer – Karen said so – and was clearly working for someone who wanted to kill Peter. And then when he took Michelle. The image of her in his grasp made Peter angrier than he had ever been. Angrier than finding out about the spiders and Osborn and Tony. Could he murder someone? He never wanted to before. That wasn’t what Spider-Man was all about. But that was Spider-Man when he was fourteen. He wasn’t fourteen anymore.

They made their way across town back to Peter and Aunt May’s apartment, both silent, lost in their own thoughts.

“Aunt May!?” he called out, as they walked into the apartment. He expected to see Aunt May laying on the couch, watching one of the shows she liked to DVR, picking apart the popcorn kernels. Instead, the apartment was empty and dark. Peter turned on a few lights. “Hmm, I figured she’d be back by now.”

Michelle walked in behind him and flung her backpack onto the floor. “Maybe she’s spending time with that super secretive boyfriend of hers.”

Peter set his backpack down and took his coat off. “I don’t know, she said she was breaking up with him tonight, so I don’t think she’d spend the night with him… also, I do not want to be thinking about her spending the night with… anyone,” he grimaced.

Michelle walked over to him and put her arms around his neck. “Maybe they made up,” she said softly, kissing his nose. Peter smiled at her gesture. She then grabbed his hand, examining his knuckles. She thumbed at the dried blood on them, so clearly not his. Peter swallowed hard and pulled her closer to him, bringing her lips to his. “Peter,” she whispered between kisses.

“Not now,” he murmured. “I just want to forget about it all.” He slowly undid the button on her jeans, and slipped his hand underneath, making Michelle gasp. With every kiss, every touch, Peter slowly felt the rest of the world, all his problems start to fade away. He pushed her jeans down as she did the same to his and grabbed her by the back of her thighs, lifting her up around his waist, carrying her toward his room. As he walked away from the living room, he thought he could hear the distant ringing of his phone, but convinced himself it was all in his head.


	17. The Thread Begins to Unravel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up! thank you again to everyone for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks! I appreciate them more than you know! But I definitely gotta give props to Marvel and John Watts and his writing crew for creating such awesome versions of these characters that inspired me! Enjoy guys!

“I just can’t believe it Andrew! I mean of all the secrets he has, this has gotta be the most insane thing!? I mean, Spider-Man is just some 16-year old kid? This is way better than I thought it would be!”  
  
Harry was literally jumping out of his seat in the back of the Town Car on the ride home from Ned’s house. He could see his freedom in his grasp. When he told his father Peter’s secret, it would mean that he could leave New York and never have to see his father or his company again  
  
“Yes, Harry, it is quite unbelievable,” Andrew replied, looking at Harry from the rear view mirror a look of disappointment on his face.  
  
Harry could sense it and scowled. “Why are you so mad at me Andrew!? You and I both know that dad has gone insane, and if I don’t get away from him soon, then I don’t even know if I’ll make it my graduation next year.”  
  
“Harry, your father has grown unstable over the last few months, this is true. However, there are other ways to get out from under his grasp, if you will. Better ways than betraying the secret of someone who you consider a friend.”  
  
“Friend? He hasn’t even told me his secret! I had to find out about it through Ned! You really think he’s my friend?”  
  
“Did he not save you from the cops at that party?” Andrew pointed out.  
  
Harry took a breath to speak, and then stopped. It was true. If Peter was really Spider-Man, then he was the one who helped Harry escape the cops. Harry remembered Peter’s comment the Monday after the party: “If there’s anything we can do to help you…” A fleeting thought came to him. Spider-Man could help me get rid of Dad… Maybe…. he shook it out of his mind. No, Peter wouldn’t hurt his father. He knew enough about Peter, enough about Spider-Man to know that he wouldn’t kill anyone.  
  
“Doesn’t matter. He can’t do anything to help me. This is all up to me.” Harry smiled suddenly as another thought came to him. “You should come with me Andrew!”

  
“Harry….”  
  
“No, it’d be great! Chaavi already left so what’s keeping you there? You and I both know dad’s getting more dangerous by the day. Whatever he’s on, it’s only going to get worse. And plus, you’re more like a father to me than he is.”  
  
Andrew sighed. “Harry, I can’t do that. I’m sorry.”  
  
Harry lowered his eyes. “Fine, I get it…”  
  
“No you don’t,” Andrew retorted. “What happens when you leave? If you something does happen to your father, what happens to Oscorp? What happens to your family’s legacy?”  
  
“It dies, as it should have a long time ago.”  
  
“Dies with your father’s legacy? One of corruption and back-alley deals? Harry, I see so much potential in you for good; you have a chance to change your father’s legacy, your father’s company. Isn’t that something you want to do?” Andrew looked at him with pleading eyes.  
  
“No, I want it to all die. It’s the reason I never had a father growing up, the reason my mother died. Why do I want to hold onto something like that?” Harry said crossly.  
  
“Because you cannot simply be happy spending the rest of your life wasting your father’s money on meaningless dribble.” Andrew parked outside of the Osborn brownstone, and turned in his seat. “Please, Harry. Don’t do this. Keep your friend’s secret, he will tell you in his own time, I know it. Keep it and work with me to help keep Oscorp afloat if and when your father ruins it.”  
  
Harry heard Andrew’s plea, but he ignored it. “No, Andrew. I don’t care about Oscorp. I don’t care about my father,” He hesitated and then said, “and I don’t care about Peter Parker.”  
  
He slammed the door shut to the door and stalked up the stairs to the front door. He was so close to his freedom that he could barely contain himself. He was shaking with anticipation. He unlocked the door, and pushed it open, calling out to his father.  
  
“Dad?” The house was eerily quiet for a moment. A strange aura of darkness cast a pall over the hallway, making Harry start to feel uncomfortable. He slowly made his way down the hall, calling out for his dad once more. Suddenly, he could hear a rustling in his father’s study, followed by a loud thump. He rushed toward the door, which was slightly ajar, and could hear his father mumbling to himself. He pushed the door further open and cautiously walked in, freezing when he caught sight of what his father was doing.  
All of the lights in the study were off except one – the small desk lamp. It cast the tall, looming shadow of his father’s figure across the room, making him seem almost ghoulish. It wasn’t the shadow though that made Harry freeze. He watched, shocked, as his father was bent over the overstuffed chair, vigorously tying a woman’s hands together. She appeared unconscious and as he rested her head against the back of the chair, the light illuminated a small part of her face. She was beautiful with long dark hair and flushed red lips, but there was a large black and blue bump forming on her forehead. Harry was overcome with shock and cried out, “Dad what the hell?!”  
  
Norman turned around and saw Harry for the first time, his own face now lit up from the small light. It made Harry recoil. His eyes were bloodshot, if you could call it that, for instead of red blood vessels surrounding his pupils, they were bright, almost neon green and nearly bulging out. His eyes were glowing, something Harry had thought he had only dreamed of before, but now it became all to clear that it was a strange reality. The green blood vessels were matched by the dark green veins that popped up along his father’s face and neck.  
  
“Well there’s my good for nothing son. So glad you decided to show up.” He stepped away from the unconscious s woman.  
  
“Dad, who is that? What…. What’s going on?”  
  
“Who’s that? Shouldn’t surprise me you don’t know since it’s clear you aren’t doing your job. This is May Parker, Peter Parker’s aunt. We have been seeing each other for the last few weeks.” He rolled up his sleeves, exposing more large green veins. His father almost looked inhuman.  
  
Harry sputtered. “Tha…tha….that’s Peter Parker’s Aunt!? Jesus dad, and you’re dating her? What? Why?” He started to feel faint.  
  
“Because I knew you’d fail me,” Norman replied casually. “You have been making no headway at all with that boy, and I need answers. Do you realize my company is in jeopardy because you can’t seem to get that boy to trust you enough to tell you his secrets!? So, I took matters into my own hands. Unfortunately, she’s just as hard of a nut to crack as her nephew. However, I think I may have found a solution.”  
  
“What, tie her up until she tells you what you want to hear!? Dad that’s kidnapping! You can go to jail!” Harry wrung his hands out nervously. “Just let her go okay? Before she wakes up, let her go.”  
  
“I don’t have the answers I need you idiot!” Norman shouted. His shout startled May awake.  
  
Harry stared at her as she slowly came to the realization that she was tied up and not in her own home. When her eyes ran over Harry first, she looked confused and scared, and when they fell upon Norman, she looked furious. “What the fuck Norman!” she shouted. “Let me go, what the hell is wrong with you!?!”  
  
Norman grinned malevolently at her. “This is me getting my answers, my dear.” He bent down and pinched her cheeks. “You’re going to tell me what you know about Tony Stark and his plans for me and my company. You’re going to tell me what your little nephew knows about my operations and what he knows about the menace called Spider-Man.” He let go of her cheeks forcefully, making her gasp from the pain.  
  
Harry rushed forward. “Dad, don’t, you don’t need to do this!” Harry exclaimed.  
  
“Shut up Harry! That web slinging lackey of Stark’s broke into my office tonight! He stole information from me! And her nephew is in on it, I know it!”  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Norman,” May said through heavy breaths. “P…P…Peter is a teenage boy, he doesn’t tell me about anything.”  
  
“I just don’t believe that’s true,” Norman replied, backhanding her. She fell forward from the force of his smack.  
  
“DAD!” Harry shouted, grabbing his dad’s arm. Norman shook him off with ease, nearly sending Harry flying backwards. How did he get so strong?  Harry thought. Then it occurred to him; his appearance, his sudden increase in strength; He was taking the Oz pills. Harry couldn’t believe it. Not only was his dad making them, but he was taking them too. It was at that moment that Harry realized, if he didn’t say something, his dad was going to hurt Peter’s aunt.  
  
“Tell me what you know!” Norman shouted to the weeping May.  
  
“Dad, stop!” Harry shouted. “I’ll tell you! I found out what you want to know!”  
  
Norman slowly turned around and glared at his son. “If you’re just trying to stall for her, you’re making a big mistake, son.”  
  
Harry looked at May, who was looking at him confused through watery eyes. “I…I… that’s why I was so eager to get home. I have what you’re looking for, Dad.” He kept looking at May, who was searching his face, to see if he actually knew the truth. “Peter’s not interning for Stark, Dad, he’s lying about it.”  
  
“No,” May whispered, her eyes going wide.  
  
Norman narrowed his eyes at him. “He isn’t interning with Stark? So, he’s lying to everyone?” Harry could tell he was getting upset at the news, just like Harry had.  
  
“Yes, he’s lying because he’s covering up what really is going on- “  
  
“No, please, don’t,” May whimpered. “Please don’t do this.”  
  
“Dad, Peter’s Spider-Man.” Harry took a sharp intake of breath, and held it, waiting for his father’s response.  
  
Norman pondered this for a second, a strange calmness washing over his face. “He told you this?”  
  
Harry shook his head. “Ned did.”  
  
“Who’s Ned?”  
  
“His best friend, Dad. He showed me a video, it’s all true, I promise you,” Harry said in a beseeching voice.  
  
Norman looked over at May. “Is he telling the truth?”  
  
May finally tore her eyes away from Harry and looked over at Norman, a fiery hatred burning in her eyes. “Go to hell,” she said, spitting on his shoes.  
  
Norman smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes. Harry, this is… this is wonderful news,” he walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You did it son, you did what you needed to do. I am proud of you.”  
  
Harry lowered his head and mumbled a thank you. He should have felt relieved; he should have felt happy; instead he felt anguish; his stomach was in knots and his head started hurting. He wanted to throw up.  
  
“But how? I don’t understand how a sixteen-year-old could get powers like that,”  
  
“He got bit by a spider, Dad, at the science museum or something,” Harry quickly added.  
  
Norman’s smile grew wider. “Spider? Science museum? Yes, that would explain it, his interest today in the spider serum…. It all makes sense now. He must know then that my serum runs through his veins. But how?” Norman turned into himself as he started talking, not really addressing Harry or May, but his own thoughts.  
  
Harry could feel May’s eyes boring into him, and when he dared to look up, she was looking at him with such an immense mixture of sadness and disappointment and fear. He looked back at his dad. “Okay, you know now, so can you just let her go?”  
  
Norman snapped his head up. “Let her go!? No, no, no, Harry, don’t you see? Now I have everything in place without even knowing I did!” He let out a high-pitched cackle that made both May and Harry shiver with fear. “I need you to do one more thing for Harry, could you do that? One more thing and then you can take your money and go. Get as far away from me, and my company as you’d like.”  
  
Harry shook his head. “No, I told you want you wanted to know, I’m going, Argh!” He fell back as Norman struck him across the face.  
  
“You think you have an option here, Harry?”  
  
There was a polite knock on the study door, interrupting Norman. “Sir?” It was Andrew.  
  
Harry wanted to tell him to run, to call the police or anything, but he just sat there on the ground, dumbfounded.  
  
Andrew walked into the room, and his eyes first went to Harry on the floor. A brief moment of alarm passed his face until he went back to being completely blank. “Sir, there is someone here to see you…”  
  
“No need to introduce me, he knows me,” the gruff male voice rang out as a small, but well-built man with a buzz cut pushed into the room. The most distinguishable trait about him should have been the large scorpion tattoo on his neck; however, his face was what drew all the eyes to him. His left eye was completely swollen shut, and his nose looked crooked, as if someone purposefully pushed it off to the side. Small cuts covered his face along with dark dried blood. _Who is this guy?_ Harry thought. _What is my dad getting himself into????_  
  
“Mac, what did I tell you about coming into my home?” Norman said through gritted teeth.  
  
“Sorry boss, but I have information you need to know. Oh, and the suit is going to need to be fixed.”  
  
“The suit…what? What did you do to it?!”  
  
“Dad who is this?” Harry asked, staring at the man with bald suspicion.  
  
“None of your business, Harry. I’m not finished with you yet.”  
  
“I didn’t do anything boss! That Spider-Man did!” Mac exclaimed.  
  
“Did you do that to your face?” Norman asked, glancing back at May.  
  
“Yes,” Mac muttered. “But I was distracted. There was a girl there,”  
  
“A girl?”  
  
“Yeah, I think it’s his girlfriend or something. He got so angry when I took her, that he tore the suit apart and did this.”  
  
“Girlfriend?” Norman glanced at Harry.  
  
“Yeah, but I got a lead for you! She kept calling him Peter, not Spider-Man. That means his real name must be Peter! You can find him now, can’t you? I’m really looking forward to some payback for what that little punk ass did to my suit… and my face.”  
  
Norman chuckled. “Yes, Mac. And you will get that payback and more.” He looked at Harry. “Aren’t you glad that he was just a few minutes late? Or else your little revelation would have meant nothing.”  
  
“Sir,” Andrew stepped forward as if he wanted to interject, but Harry shook his head quickly, signaling for him to shut up. Andrew raised an eyebrow, but stepped back.  
  
“Mac, go take that suit to one of the facilities; they should be able to get it all fixed up. Then come back here. We have work to do.”  
  
Mac nodded and stalked off, a slight limp to his walk. Norman then turned his attention back to Andrew. “Andrew, please escort our guest, Ms. Parker to a room for the evening.”  
Andrew bristled, but stayed calm in the face. “Yes sir.” He walked over to May, helping her to her feet.  
  
“You think you can hurt him, but you’re wrong Norman!” May shouted as Andrew escorted him out. “You’re going to regret this!”  
  
Norman ignored her and turned his attention to Harry. “Now, for you, Harry. You have one more job to do for me, and then I promise, you can leave.”  
Harry stared into his dad’s glowing eyes and gulped.  


* * *

  
  
Peter groaned as Karen’s voice came through the mini drone that he had charged next to his bed.  
  
“Peter, it is 6:30 AM. Your alarm on your phone is going off in the other room.”  
  
Peter rolled over and rubbed his eyes. “It’s 6:30?” he said, his voice hoarse from hours of unused.  
  
“Yes, in the morning. School starts in one hour and fifteen minutes.”  
  
Peter sat up and looked over at Michelle, who was curled up, snoring lightly. He shook her softly. “MJ, we gotta get up.”  
  
She grumbled, “No, let’s stay here all day.” She reached for his arm, trying to pull him back down onto the bed. Peter grinned, and instead pulled back, pulling her up. She pushed her curls out of her face and frowned at him. “Aren’t you the one who likes to skip school sometimes to fight crime? Why can’t we just skip school to stay in bed and watch some of your lame shows? I mean we know the education system is failing us anyway…”  
  
“Because May is about to come in here and wake us up and she will not let us stay home.”  
  
“Fine,” she huffed, climbing over top of him. “What time is it?”  
  
“6:32 AM,” Karen answered.  
  
Michelle’s eyes widened. “What!? I need to get back to my house and change before school.”  
  
Peter looked at her questioningly. “Why?”  
  
She rolled her eyes. “Not that I care about what other people say or think, but I don’t know about you, but the only thing keeping me from punching Flash in the face is one comment… and if I show up wearing the same outfit as yesterday, that’s gonna be the comment that sends Flash to Nurse Mary, and me to detention with Coach Wilson. And now that we’re dating, I would rather spend my afternoons with you.”  
  
Peter laughed. “Good point. Okay, if you want, go see if May has breakfast ready yet.”  
  
She nodded and slipped on her jeans and sweater from yesterday. “Don’t want to scare her again with my nakedness… again,” she said, winking at Peter as she left his room.  
  
Peter quickly jumped out of bed and started dressing for the day, his mind slowly starting to come back to the events of the night before; of the information that he learned. He knew that he needed to look at the files he pulled off Norman’s computer, but at that moment, he needed to make sure he wasn’t late to school.  
  
Michelle came back in moments later, holding his phone. She looked both confused and concerned. “Oh shoot, I never charged that stupid thing,” he said, grabbing it from her. “Thanks.”  
  
“Yeah, so your aunt isn’t home.”    
  
Peter froze. “Wait, my aunt isn’t home?” He pushed passed her and started calling for May. He opened up her bedroom door, and saw her bed completely made up, nothing out of sorts. He ran into the kitchen and saw it completely spotless. He ran back to his room, where Michelle was organizing her back pack. “I don’t think she’s ever spent the night with someone.”  
  
“Wait, how long has she been dating since…” Michelle stopped mid-sentence, realizing what she would have said next. She looked away from Peter.  
  
“Since Uncle Ben died?” Peter finished for her. “It’s okay, I’m… it’s been a couple of years… but yeah I don’t think she’s been out on dates that long. Maybe she called me and left me a message.” He looked down at his phone and noticed that he had 20 missed calls from Ned. “Shit, Ned!”  
  
Michelle’s eyes widened. “Oh no.”  
  
He looked up at Michelle worriedly. “We were supposed to call Ned last night when we got back. I can’t believe we forgot!”  
  
She nodded. “Yeah, we were. Now he’s going to hate me even more than he does already” She walked up to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “You need to meet up with him and fix this.”  
  
Peter shook his head. “No, I was going to walk with you to your house and…”  
  
“Nope, go make up with Ned, and meet me at school. Besides, if my parents are still there, trust me, you do not want to be there with them knowing that I slept here last night.” She walked up and kissed his lips. “He will understand. And if he doesn’t, you know, make him understand.”  
  
Peter sighed. “Okay.” He texted back Ned.  
  
_**Hey Man! So sorry about not calling you last night. Meet met at Delmars and Ill explain everything. Things got pretty crazy.**_  
  
“So, I’ll see you at school then?” Peter said, looking back up at Michelle. She tied her hair up into a side ponytail and gave him a wide smile.  
  
“I’ll be waiting on ya,” She gave him another kiss and then said, “Okay, good luck. I love you.” Peter inhaled quickly, his eyes going wide. Michelle’s eyes also expanded taking up her whole face that had a look of fear etched on it. Those three words. Three words Peter had only said to a handful of people and they were all related to him. He was struck with a sudden case of silence, unable to form words.  “I mean, what? Huh? Sorry, I was thinking… you know it’s a bad habit. Say it to my mom and dad all the time when I leave… but yeah, so, forget I said that, okay? Um, bye!” Michelle’s face had gone bright read, and she quickly rushed out of his room after making her excuse.  
  
Once the front door shut, Karen’s voice suddenly piped up. “Peter, when someone says they love you, you should say it back.”  
  
“Shh, Karen I know!” Peter exclaimed, rubbing his hands over his face. “Gah! Why did I freeze up!? I am such an idiot!” He heard his phone beep and looked down at the incoming text message.  
  
**_Sure. See ya in 30._**  
  
Peter sighed. The idea of staying in bed now was a lot more appealing than it was ten minutes ago. He was about to put his phone away when he remembered that May was not at home. He pulled up his text messages to see if she had left him one. The only text he had gotten was from Tony, and he quickly shut out of it, not ready to read whatever apology he had ready for him. He didn’t see any missed calls either, so he decided to call her quickly. It went to voicemail immediately.  
  
“Hey, this is May! Not here right now, so leave me a message!”  
  
Peter hesitated and then said, “Hey May, it’s Peter. Just, um, checking in with you because you didn’t come home last night, and that’s something I usually do, haha, so call me back.”  
  
He hung up and threw his phone into his bag. He wondered if she was okay, and a small flicker of worry sprang to life in the back of his mind. _I should go look for her_ , he thought. However, he didn’t know where she would be. Work, maybe, but if she was with her boyfriend, how was he supposed to know? He had no idea who the guy was. Peter sighed. “See, she tells me she wants to know where I’ve been, who I’m hanging out with, but if it’s the other way, nooo. And I’m the one with super powers!” he groaned and headed for the door.

* * *

  
  
As Peter approached Delmars, he saw Ned standing awkwardly outside. He had his phone on him, but he was clearly not looking at it, but rather watching the people passing him on the street, searching for Peter. Peter took a deep breath and straightened out his sweater. “Hey Ned!” He called out, jogging over to him.  
  
Ned turned in his direction and gave Peter a strange look. He didn’t look mad, he looked worried, nervous even. It caught Peter off guard. “H…h…hey man,” Ned said, stuffing his phone into his pocket.  
  
Peter stopped in front of him. “Hey, thanks for meeting me.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I should have stood you up, it crossed my mind, but I try to be a good friend,” Ned replied, a sullen look appearing on his face.  
  
Peter grimaced. “I know, I know. I am so sorry okay. And MJ is too.”  
  
“Sure,” Ned replied. “I’m sure you were so sorry while you two were making out on your bed.” He started walking in the direction of school, and Peter went to catch up with him.  
  
“No, Ned, it wasn’t like that, look, a lot of stuff went down last night, and things got crazy, and I completely forgot.” He proceeded to tell him about their visit to Oscorp, and the revelation about Norman’s involvement as well as the spiders and Tony. He then told him about Mac Gargan, and how he almost hurt Michelle.  
  
By the time the story was finished, Ned was captivated. “Wow, that is crazy. You completely destroyed his suit?”  
  
“Yeah, and I may have rearranged his face a bit. But I’m sure Mr. Osborn will fix the suit right up.” Peter shook his head. “I don’t understand why he’d want to work with a criminal like the Goblin though.”  
  
“Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he’s being forced to,” Ned’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, maybe, the Goblin has some dirt on Mr. Osborn. Something super weird and sexual that could ruin him if it got out.”  
  
Peter raised an eyebrow. “As much as you’d like to believe that, Ned, no, I don’t think so. My impression of Mr. Osborn is that he is in control of everything he does. If he’s working with this guy, it’s on his terms.” He stopped. “Hey, we’re good, right?”  
  
Ned looked at him for a second and then said, “Yeah, we’re good. I mean even if you and MJ had just decided to, you know, Netflix and chill and all that, I shouldn’t get upset, right? I mean, I’d probably want to do the same if I had a girlfriend,” he laughed awkwardly.  
  
Peter gave him a sympathetic smile. “Hey, you will have one soon, man. You just need to, you know, get the courage to ask Betty out again.”  
  
“Yeah right,” Ned replied. He held out his hand for their secret handshake. “Sorry for being stupid.”  
  
“Not, stupid,” Peter corrected, going in for their handshake.  
  
“So what are you going to do about Tony?”  
  
Peter suddenly could feel the weight of the phone in his pocket. “I don’t know. It’s a big deal. He knew this whole time, and didn’t tell me his company helped to create the serum that turned me into, you know,” Peter gestured to himself.  
  
“He was probably just protecting you, right?”  
  
“From the truth?! Imagine what he could have helped me discover about myself if he had told me! There is still so much I don’t know. It’s just… it hurts he didn’t think he could trust me with the information.”  
  
“Maybe he was afraid of how you reacted when he told you,” Ned said in a low voice, not really at Peter, but more to himself.  
  
Peter just shrugged. “Maybe.” They walked together in silence, the school now coming into the distance. “So, um, MJ told me she loved me this morning.”  
  
Ned grabbed his arm. “What!? Dude that’s crazy! Mainly because I wasn’t sure if MJ was capable of those kind of emotions,” Peter gave him a look, “but because that’s huge! I think I’ve only told my parents that. What did you say?”  
  
“I didn’t say anything,” Peter admitted. “I froze, like a dumbass, and she backpedaled and left, but dude, she said it.”  
  
“So, do you love her?”  
  
“Yes! That’s why I’m such an idiot for not saying it back! Even Karen got onto me…. Karen, who’s basically a bunch of zeros and ones!” Peter groaned. “I need to say it back.”  
  
“Yeah… so how you gonna do it?”  
  
They walked into the school, and started down the corridor to Peter’s locker. “I don’t know, but when I say it, it’s going to be epic.”  
  
Peter’s locker came into view, and Michelle was sitting on the ground in front of it, her head lowered into her book. He smiled, appreciating the view of her sitting there, her nose scrunched up in concentration as she lost herself in the words on the page.  
  
“You’re not going to do it now, are you?” Ned murmured, as they got closer.  
  
“What?! No, Ned, I’m not doing it now,” He muttered back.  
  
As they got closer, Michelle, without looking up, said “Hello boys, did you two kiss and make up?”  
  
“How did you know we were coming?! Jeez, it’s like you have eyes on the side of your head,” Ned commented, as they came up to her.  
  
She looked up finally, and winked at Peter. “No, although I’m surprised that’s not something you have.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes. “Haha, yes, let’s make spider jokes this early in the morning.” He reached down and she grabbed his hand, letting him pull her to her feet.  
  
“So, we all good?” she said to Ned, dogearing the page she was on and closing her book.  
  
“Yeah, we’re good,” Ned said, glancing at Peter. He gave Ned an encouraging smile, and turned to his locker to open it.  
  
“Okay, I think we need to get together after school today to go over everything,” Peter said, as he grabbed his morning class books. “I think there are three locations that could be hideouts. Once we can deduce which one would have the Goblin, I go there and take him out.”  
  
“Sounds like a plan,” Ned replied.  
  
“I’m not sure I like the part where you go alone to take him out,” MJ replied, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
“MJ, I don’t really have a choice do I?” Peter retorted.  
  
She was about to reply when suddenly the presence of a new person interrupted their conversation.  
  
“Hey guys,” sad the voice of Harry.  
  
They all turned and saw Harry standing behind them, and he did not look well. His eyes had dark circles around them, as if he hadn’t slept well the night before; his skin had a sickly white pallor to it, and he seemed to be sweating, beads of sweat formed around his hairline. Peter looked at him with concern. “Hey Harry, um, what’s up, man?”  
  
Harry wouldn’t quite look at him. “Um, I was wondering, if you guys could come over to my house to hang out today after school?”  
  
Peter glanced at Michelle and Ned. Michelle had a look of suspicion on her face, while Ned was shaking his head vigorously ‘No.’  
  
“Uh, well we kind of already had plans,” Peter replied, slowly.  
  
Harry looked up at him then a panicked look on his face. “No, you have to come over today, please? Please come over, please.”  
  
“Whoa, slow down there sparky,” Michelle said.  
  
“Can’t you just come over and hang out for a little? What are you two too busy screwing each other to do anything else?!”  
  
“Whoa!” Peter exclaimed, grabbing Michelle’s arm as she stepped forward to say something. “No, Harry, come on man, what is going on with you? Are you okay?” he stepped forward and Harry jumped back.  
  
“No, I’m fine! Jesus Peter, why are you always trying to help me!? I don’t need your help all right. I just thought… we were friends and maybe we could all hang out…” he trailed off, wringing his hands.  
  
Peter glanced at MJ, who nodded. “We’ll come over all right?”  
  
“What!?” Ned exclaimed unexpectedly. Michelle and Peter looked at him in confusion. “I mean, we have plans right?”  
  
“Well, we could push them back,” Peter said. “Is your dad going to be home?”  
  
Harry’s eyes grew round. “My dad? Uh, no, yeah he won’t be there, no,” he said quickly. The mention of his father seemed to elicit a new kind of expression on Harry’s face. To call it fear would have been an understatement. Horror seemed to be a better fit for the look on his face. It piqued Peter’s interest.  
  
“Okay, just wondering. Um, so yeah we’ll come over, man, if you want us to.”  
  
“Thanks Peter,” Harry said, calming down. “I really appreciate it.” He gave them all a weak smile. “Um, so I’ll see you after school?”  
  
“Yeah, sure, man, after school.” Peter tried to give Harry a reassuring smile.  
  
“Awesome, um, I gotta go to homeroom now.” Harry gave them a quick wave, and quickly strode away, muttering to himself.  
  
“So, why are we going to his house? Especially when he’s obviously gone crazy?” Ned asked, a worried look on his face again.  
   
“Something’s going on with him,” Peter admitted. He looked at Michelle.  
  
“But, Mr. Osborn may be hiding something in his house. Something we can use to help us get him and the Goblin.”  
  
Peter nodded. “And maybe I can help Harry too in the process. I can’t help but think his father is behind his weirdness. So, let’s go, do some recon, and maybe we can save Harry in the process.”  
  
“I don’t think Harry needs saving,” Ned retorted. “He’s the rich one remember?”  
  
“Just because he’s rich, doesn’t mean he’s happy or has the perfect life,” Michelle chided. “And I don’t think it would be a normal day if Peter wasn’t trying to save someone, right?” she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I’m going to homeroom; I’ll see you both in there.”  
  
Peter and Ned watched her walk away. “I thought we weren’t really going to be Harry’s friends anyway,” Ned said once she left.  
  
“Well, things change, right? He’s not a bad guy, Ned, just has had some bad luck in life.”  
  
Peter gave Ned a small smile and started following Michelle to homeroom. “Yeah, well I’d take a little bit of his million-dollar bad luck any day,” Ned said, rushing to catch up with Peter.


	18. The Truth in Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys sorry this chapter took so long, I wanted to get the tone and feel right. Hopefully everyone enjoys!

When school let out, Peter, Ned, and Michelle met back up at Peter’s locker. He was pulling out all his books since, for once, he didn’t have any homework assignments.   
  
“Must be because we’re getting close to the holidays, the teachers are getting lazy,” Michelle commented, as he had mentioned this.  
  
“I don’t care, they can stay lazy all year long if it means I have more time to beat Destiny 3,” Ned replied, shooting finger guns at Peter.   
  
He grinned. “Yeah, and maybe I’ll have more time to fight crime from super villains.”   
  
Ned frowned. “Man, why does yours sound so much cooler?”   
  
“Because it is,” Peter said with a smirk. “Although, I could really use a day of Destiny 3,” he added, making Ned grin again.  
   
“Okay, so we’re still doing this, right? We’re still going over to Harry’s house and hanging out with him?” Michelle asked, as Peter closed his locker.   
  
“Yeah, we have to go and check it out,” Peter replied. “Something is wrong with Harry, and we gotta help him.”   
  
“There’s that hero complex again,” Michelle replied. “You know you can’t save everyone, right?”  
  
“I can try,” Peter replied, he looked at Ned for support, but Ned was shaking his head.   
  
“She has a point, Peter. I mean, we don’t even know Harry that well,” he said, fidgeting with his backpack strap nervously. “Why do we even hang out with Harry anyway? It’s not like we need to add to the group, right?”  
  
Michelle raised an eyebrow. “Group? When did we become some exclusive club of some kind? Who are we, Cory, Topanga and Shawn?”   
  
“I wish I was as cool as Shawn,” Ned sighed.   
  
Peter shook his head. “Guys, look. We gotta go, we have to check it out okay?”  
  
Michelle and Ned exchanged glances. “Fine, we will go. Anything to help stop the Goblin from trying to kill you.”   
  
They all headed out toward the front of the school, where Harry was waiting by his father’s Town Car. He was already waiting, Andrew standing next to him. They appeared to be arguing in hushed tones as Peter, Michelle, and Ned approached. “Who’s that?” Michelle asked as they walked toward them.  
  
“That’s Andrew, Harry’s butler,” Ned answered quickly, making both Peter and Michelle look at him surprised. “What? He mentioned the guy before…”  
  
“Good memory, man,” Peter said slapping his back cheerfully. Ned just chuckled half-heartedly.   
  
“Hey!” Harry broke off his conversation with Andrew and jogged up to them. “I’m glad you guys could make it, really.” Although he still had that sickly pallor, he looked relieved.   
  
“Yeah, of course, man,” Peter said. He glanced at Andrew, who eyed the three of them warily.   
  
“We’re ready to go Andrew,” Harry said, not even looking at his butler, as he opened the door. Andrew watched him for a second, looking as if he had something on his lips, but he decided against it. He turned and walked swiftly to the driver’s seat, and Harry opened the back-passenger door. They all slipped inside, and Peter was amazed to find that the back seat was actually two back seats that faced each other. Harry took the one that faced the trunk, and Ned followed in beside him. Peter and Michelle took the other seat, facing them.   
  
As the car took off, they sat in silence. Peter had expected Harry to say something, to explain why he wanted them to come over so badly, but he ignored all of them and just looked out the window.   
  
Peter glanced at Michelle, who was watching Harry with that intense stare of hers, as if she was trying to figure out all of his thoughts. He looked over at Ned, who kept nervously glancing at Harry and fiddling with his backpack straps. Peter noticed that Ned was acting strangely around Harry all day, and Peter couldn’t figure out why. He wanted to ask Ned, but he knew that Ned would tell him when he was ready; whatever it was he had to tell Peter.   
  
Peter pulled his phone out and opened it up to see if he had gotten any calls from Aunt May. It was almost five o’clock, and he usually heard from her at least once a day, whether or not she was checking in on him or sending him silly memes. He sent a text to her, asking her to call him. He sighed.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Michelle said, looking down at his phone.   
  
Peter looked up at her with a worried look. “May, she still hasn’t called or texted. I’m getting worried.” He heard a bang against the other door, and looked up to see Harry rubbing his elbow. “You okay?”   
  
Harry didn’t even look at Peter. “Yeah, I’m fine, just hit my elbow….”   
  
“Well, if you don’t hear from her by the time we get home later, maybe we will go look for her,” Michelle replied, giving Peter a knowing look.  He understood completely.   
  
“Wait, Aunt May is missing?” Ned spoke up. “You didn’t tell me that earlier!”  
  
“Yeah, because I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I mean… she wasn’t home last night or this morning, and it’s just weird. Ever since Uncle Ben…. Died.... we promised to look out for one another and keep each other in the loop about where we are.” Even though, I completely broke that promise last year, he thought guiltily.   
  
“I’m sure your aunt is, um, fine,” Harry said, his voice cracking a bit, as if he got choked up thinking about her disappearance.   
  
Peter looked at him oddly. “Yeah, I’m sure she is. She’s just the only family I have left, so I guess I worry a lot,” Peter replied, and it made everyone go uncomfortably silent. Peter looked back down at his phone, and noticed the unopened text from Tony still waiting for him to open. Peter took a deep breath in. He had tried to ignore the red circle on his message app all day, but he couldn’t ignore it any longer. He opened up the text, a long text, and read over it several times:   
  
_Kid, answer your phone._  
  
 _Okay you’re not going to answer your phone._  
  
 _Right, so I’m going to have to do this the millennial way._  
  
 _Peter, I am sorry for not telling you about the spider serum. I thought I was protecting you by not telling you. Our involvement in the project was minimal, and only Oscorp knows. If the government found out, they would put two and two together and come after you. I have seen what they have done to the other Avengers, and I do not want that to happen to you. I want you to be able to live a normal life for a little bit longer. Not go into hiding. If they found out, you would become a 9th grade dissection project for them. I see now, though, I shouldn’t have lied to you. I’m sorry. I’m on my way back from Wakanda now. We’ll talk when I’m in New York._  
  
 _And if you ever meet Rhodes, don’t tell him I apologized, he’ll think I’ve gone soft._  
  
Peter sighed and clicked off his phone, shoving it back in his pocket. Tony had never told him what had happened to the other Avengers before – the ones that fought with Captain America, the ones in hiding now. Peter wondered what the government had done to them; he wondered if they would really open him up like a dead frog. _Dead Spider,_ he corrected himself, smiling grimly to himself. Suddenly, he felt terrible about yelling at Tony and not letting him explain everything. He suddenly felt Michelle’s hand wrap around his. He stared down at it and smiled, thinking she was just being sweet until her grip tightened so hard he could feel his fingers get tingly from the loss of blood to them. He snapped his head up and saw her staring at him with a strange look. He glanced at Ned and Harry who both seemed in their own worlds and then back at her.   
  
‘What’s up?’ he mouthed.   
  
She leaned her head in close to him, pretending to kiss his neck. “I don’t like this Peter,” she murmured under her breath. “Harry is acting way too weird for this to be some normal hang out at his house. Do you think his dad knows we took the files?”   
  
Peter shook his head and turned it to face her, hiding both their faces from the other two boys. “There’s no way,” he muttered. “I covered all the security cameras. He may think Spider-Man did it, but not us.”   
  
Michelle looked at him pointedly. “Okay, but what about….”  
  
Peter cut her off. “No, I told you. There’s no way whatever information Mac has could lead Mr. Osborn to me, okay? There’s no way he’d believe some 16-year-old is Spider-Man. Not without hard core proof, and he doesn’t have it, I promise.”   
  
Michelle pressed her lips together. “Peter….”  
  
“No, stop worrying about it okay? Plus, if anything is wrong, my spidey senses will tell us, yeah?” She nodded, still unconvinced.   
  
The car stopped then and they hear Andrew put the car into park. “We’re here,” Harry said anxiously, grabbing the door handle and opening up the door next to him.   
They filed out of the car, and turned to look up at the immense brownstone that stood before them.   
  
“Wow, what a house,” Ned said in awe.   
  
Peter would have been just as impressed if it wasn’t for prickling sensation that had suddenly taken over his body. “Shit,” he muttered stopping short as the rest of them started for the front door. Michelle noticed that he had stopped and backed up. She saw the look on his face and frowned.   
  
“So, what did you say about everything being okay?” she said approaching him slowly. “You’re spidey senses are going off, aren’t they?”   
  
Peter nodded. “Yeah. Major spidey senses.” He dropped down and started digging through his backpack.   
  
Ned and Harry stopped on the stairs and turned to see Peter and Michelle hovered over his backpack. “Uh, is everything okay, guys?” Ned called out.  
  
“Yeah, sorry, I think I forgot my uh wallet, I’m just checking…” He trailed off as he felt around for his old web shooters from his old suit. He found them and while his hands were inside the bag and slipped them on his wrists, checking to make sure he had a vial of his web fluid in each. “Oh yeah, there it is!” Peter exclaimed, pulling his sweater over his wrists and shutting his backpack. “Sorry about that!” He shrugged his backpack over his shoulder and started walking toward them. “Keep Harry distracted when we get inside okay? I need to look around.”   
  
Michelle nodded. “I’m going to become a master at distraction, aren’t I?”  
  
Peter grinned. “Stick with me kid, and you’ll go places.” She rolled her eyes and followed him up the stairs to the front door.   
  
Harry opened the door and led them inside. The front entrance hall seemed just as grand as the outside. A wide staircase greeted them at the entrance and beyond it shot off two separate hallways. The walls were made of a dark oak paneling, something Peter was sure only older, more expensive homes ever used anymore. The walls were bare except a few gold sconces and a couple of poster-sized portraits and paintings, one of them of Mr. Osborn. Peter paused in front of it, staring up at ominous picture of the patriarch. He wondered where he was at that moment. _Probably off making deals with his buddy the Goblin_ , Peter thought bitterly, and his thought reminded him why he was at the Osborn house in the first place.   
  
“So, are you going to give us a tour of this huge ass house?!” Ned asked, a twinge of excitement in his voice.   
  
“Y…y…yeah of course,” Harry replied. “Um, let’s start with the, uh, my dad’s study,” he said pointing to a closed door on the right.   
  
Peter reached for his web shooters with his middle and ring fingers lightly tapping the button to make sure they were still there almost as a nervous tick. He glanced at Michelle who also seemed to be on the lookout for anything unusual. Ned looked absolutely amazed, oblivious to the uneasy feeling that both Michelle and Peter had. Peter glanced back at her. Maybe they were being paranoid. Maybe his spidey senses were going off because something else was happening around the area but not necessarily in that house.   
  
He grabbed Michelle’s hand. “Maybe we’re wrong,” he said in a low voice, as they followed Harry and Ned toward the study. “Maybe what I am feeling is about something else.”   
  
“You mean there’s danger somewhere else near here?” she replied. “So why aren’t you making excuses and running after it?”   
  
She had a point. If he really believed that, he would already be gone. Harry opened the door and ushered them all inside.   
  
The three of them made their way inside. It was brightly lit and upon entering, the first thing Peter noticed were the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that lined two of the walls. Peter had never seen that many books in someone’s actual home before. There was a desk situated just beyond them on the far side of the wall, with an ornate leather office chair behind it, turned away from them. A large globe sat free standing to their left, and Ned ran over to it to spin it on its axis.  
  
“How cool is this!” Ned exclaimed.  
  
Peter chuckled a little to himself at Ned’s fascination with the globe, and watched as Michelle walked over to one of the book shelves and started looking through the titles. He then looked back at Harry, and his sudden ease had dropped.   
  
Harry was standing at the door, his eyes flitting between them all nervously. What concerned Peter the most, however, was his grip on the door handle. It was so hard that his knuckles were turning white. He caught Peter looking at him, and his eyes widened in fear. He backed out of the doorway and said, “Peter, I’m sorry, I really am.”   
  
Before Peter could react, Harry slammed the door shut.   
  
“What was that?” Ned asked, looking up from the globe.   
  
Peter ran to the door and he heard the lock click. He pulled on the handle and then beat against the door. “What the hell? Harry open up man!” he shouted, banging his fist on the door. Michelle ran over to him.   
  
“Did he just lock us in here?” she asked, and he could hear the fear creeping into her usually calm voice.  
  
“Yeah, he did,” Peter said, “Michelle, remember when you said you had a bad feeling about this?”   
  
“And now you know that I am always right,” she said with a sigh, grabbing the handle and trying to twist it. “Dammit, I wish I was the kind of girl who carried bobby pins around.”   
“Peter can’t you just,” Ned motioned breaking the lock.  
  
Peter shook his head. “I can’t here, Ned, come on, man,” he said in a low voice.   
  
“You may not have a choice,” Michelle replied. “Harry, if you’re standing out there, when we get out, I’m going to kill you!” she shouted through the door.   
  
“Oh, I doubt he’s still there.” The cool deep voice rang out in the study, sending shivers down Peter’s spine. He whirled around and saw that leather office chair had turned around, and Norman Osborn was sitting in it, his hands pressed together in quite an evil villain-esque fashion. Except he didn’t look like the same Norman Osborn that Peter and Michelle had met just one day before. His skin looked sallower, almost tinged green, and he had strange veins that bulged from his neck and forearms, visible from his rolled-up sleeves and slightly unbuttoned shirt. Peter had seen those symptoms before on people who took Oz. But what he couldn’t stop staring at were his eyes. They seemed to be glowing, just like he had thought they were back at Oscorp.   
  
He wondered if that was a side effect of the drug, one that occurred in people who took it more regularly. He then wondered how long Mr. Osborn was taking his own drug. Both thoughts struck Peter with alarm. “Knowing my son, he’s probably already high-tailed it out of here. Not one to stick around for a fight.” He stood up and leaned over the desk. “Hello, Mr. Parker, Miss Jones,” He turned to Ned who had slowly backpedaled over to Peter and Michelle. “And you must be Mr. Leeds.”   
  
“H…h… Hi Mr. Osborn,” Peter said unsteadily.   
  
“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Parker; I feel like we didn’t get a lot of time to talk yesterday what with you running off to the… bathroom, is that right?”   
  
Peter flinched a little when he said ‘bathroom’. Something about the way he said it made Peter uneasy. There’s no way he knows what I really did, no way, he thought. However, there he was standing in the middle of Mr. Osborn’s study, locked in by the man’s son; so maybe he did know. “Yeah, um, sorry about that, school lunches, man,” Peter said, trying to sound nonchalant.

  
Mr. Osborn slowly walked around the desk. “You know, someone broke into my office the same time you both were in my office yesterday, isn’t that so strange?” Peter and Michelle exchanged wordless looks. “And that person stole some very important information from me. You wouldn’t have happened to see anyone ‘suspicious’ walking around the halls, would you?”  
  
Peter pushed Michelle behind him. “Um, no, didn’t see anyone at all, actually. Must have happened while I was in the bathroom. Like I said, it was pretty bad,” he stated, internally wincing at the fact that he was defending a fake bowel movement problem to Norman Osborn.  
  
“Hmmm, interesting. You don’t strike me to be the type that isn’t observant Mr. Parker. Are you lying to me?”   
  
“I promise you, Mr. Osborn, I didn’t see anyone go into your office while I was in the bathroom.”   
  
“How proud Tony Stark must be of your ability to lie,” He sneered, lightly tapping the side of his desk. “Tell me, Mr. Parker, how’s that internship with Tony Stark going anyhow? Are you learning a lot from him? Remind me again, how did a 16-year-old boy get such an exclusive internship with Tony Stark? Certainly, you have no connections, no money to speak of….”  
  
“Mr. Osborn, I’m not really sure why that’s important,” Peter said.   
  
“Tony Stark has been out to get me for a long time, Mr. Parker. If anyone was going to steal from me, it would be him, and wouldn’t he want someone close to him doing it?”   
  
Peter realized he was accusing him of doing the exact thing he had actually done. He crossed his arms over his chest and took a defiant stance. He couldn’t let Mr. Osborn on that he had stolen the information. “Are you accusing me of stealing from your office, Mr. Osborn?” he asked him point blank.   
  
“Ah, cutting to the point. A man after my own heart. I had to ask myself; this boy, he must be special to Tony, or else he wouldn’t have taken him on, yes? I thought, this boy, he might be willing to do anything for Tony Stark, like most of his little groupies…”  
  
“Mr. Osborn, look,”   
  
“I’m not finished, boy!” Mr. Osborn roared suddenly, making Ned whimper.   
  
“Peeetteerrr,” Ned moaned in a low voice. “I don’t like this!”   
  
“Shh, Ned,” Peter shushed him. “Look, Mr. Osborn, whatever’s going on, you can’t keep us here okay? If you think I stole something for Tony Stark, call the police or something.”  
  
That was when Norman let out a high-pitched laugh that curdled the blood. The prickling sensation that spread throughout Peter’s body dialed to eleven. He looked back at Michelle and mouthed, ‘RUN.’ She just scrunched her eyebrows together and looked at him in confusion. “The police, that is very funny, Peter, very funny. I think this is all a bit out of their league don’t you think?”   
  
Peter slowly started to reach for the buttons of his web shooters underneath his shirt. “Oh, Mr. Parker, I don’t think you’ll be needing to use those little gadgets of yours.”   
  
Peter’s whole body froze. He heard Michelle mutter a string of profanities under her breath. He let his fingers drop and looked up at Mr. Osborn, who was grinning as if he had just won a victory. He walked toward the front of the desk and leaned his back against it. “Surprised?”  
  
Peter recovered from his shock. “Surprised about what?” he asked, as casually as possible, putting on a cocky, nonchalant air.   
  
Mr. Osborn laughed again. “Yes, yes, exactly how everyone has described you. An annoyingly arrogant little bug.” He started pacing. “Yes, you didn’t steal for Tony after all did you? Since you aren’t really interning for him, are you Spider-Man?”  
  
“I told you,” Michelle said worriedly, recalling their earlier conversation about Mac Gargan.   
  
“Hey congratulations, you figured out my secret identity, do you want a prize now?” Peter said sarcastically, ignoring Michelle’s comment, although the thought did cross his mind.  
“Oh no, Mr. Parker, you are my prize. I have been trying to find you for a long time… or should I say you’re your alter ego. I even had my little pet scorpion try to capture you, but I guess you got the better of him, didn’t you?”    
  
“You’re pet scor…. Wait a minute…” the thought hit Peter hard, disorienting him, “Wait, you’re not working for the Goblin, you are the goblin aren’t you?”   
  
Osborn laughed again, that same chilling high-pitched laughter; the laughter quickly dissolved into a strange coughing fit, and Peter could see his strangely green veins bulging out of his neck from the severity of the cough. Osborn shook his head and grabbed a small vial off the desk, and something next to it, which Peter realized was a syringe. The vial had a dark green liquid in it. Oz, he’s injecting it directly into his system, Peter thought.   
  
“You’ve been taking that haven’t you?” Peter asked, staring at Osborn as he rolled up one of his sleeves and slipped the needle into the crook of his elbow. He tensed a bit as the serum entered his bloodstream, his body shuddering for a second. He then let out a long sigh and looked back at Peter with a wide grin, the green in his skin darkening a bit. He had heard that the Goblin was ruthless, crazy; it made sense that he would have been taking the serum as well.   
  
He paced slowly in front of the desk. “Yes, on both astute observations Mr. Parker. I have been taking my serum for a long time now. Small injections to keep up my … strength. Although it does have some unpleasant side effects. But I guess you know all about the side effects, don’t you Mr. Parker? I have to admit, I am irritatingly grateful you saved my son from the police the night of that party if, for no other reason, you managed to keep the police off my back.”   
  
“Well, you have a pretty weird way of showing your gratitude,” Peter remarked, tensing up, ready to leap.   
  
 “Peter, now might be a good time to, you know, be that hero,” Michelle murmured to him.   
  
“Oh no, no, no, I don’t think you’d be wanting to do anything too hasty, Peter,” Norman said quickly. He walked over to the one empty wall and pressed on the wooden paneling. As he did so, a portion of the wall unattached itself from the rest of the wall and came out so that Norman could pull it open. As he did, the sound of heavy footfalls and the creaking sound of metal and machine emerged from the doorway along with the fully restored Scorpion suit with Mac Gargan in it. His face was bruised from the beating Peter gave him the day before, which Peter had to smirk at.   
  
However, the smirk fell off of his face as Mac whipped out his tail, which was curled around the limp body of his Aunt May. “May,” Peter whispered in shock. He now understood why she never came home – why she wasn’t answering her phone. He raced forward, but suddenly a large metal object swooshed in front of him. It was the glider he had seen in the files – the one that the Goblin notoriously used.   
  
“Uh-uh-uh, Mr. Parker. I wouldn’t if I were you.” Mr. Osborn nodded at Mac, who dropped May on the ground. The impact awoke her from whatever sleep she was in. She slowly started to raise her gaze, which immediately fell on Peter.   
  
“No, Peter, you have to get out of here, he knows, he knows about Spider-Man!” She exclaimed, scrambling to her feet and reaching out for him.   
  
Mr. Osborn stepped in and grabbed her hand, twisting it behind her back. She cried out in pain.   
  
“LET HER GO!” Peter bellowed angrily.   
  
“Now, now Mr. Parker, of course you know I can’t do that. And you know you don’t want to do anything that would put her life, and the lives of your best friend and girlfriend at risk.”   
  
“How… how I don’t understand?”  
  
“Oh,” Mr. Osborn looked at Peter and then at May. “I see, you never told him about us, did you my darling.” He leaned forward and tried to brush his lips against May’s cheek, and she tried to crane her neck away from him.   
  
“Peter, I’m sorry, I should have told you… if I had known…” May looked at him with fear and regret.   
  
“Wait, Mr. Osborn is the secret boyfriend?” Peter said. He could feel his head starting to hurt.  
  
“Yes, Peter, I guess I am the ‘secret’ boyfriend. I have to admit, she’s so easy to charm, but much harder to get the truth out of.”   
  
“Fuck you, Norman,” May spat, struggling to get out of his grasp.  
  
“Wait, so you dated my Aunt to get information about me?”  
  
“Of course, Mr. Parker. A 16-year-old genius, who apparently skips school a lot and spends time with Tony Stark, my enemy. Of course, I knew you were something special.”   
  
“Ah shucks, thanks a lot,” Peter retorted, glowering at him. “Now let her go.”   
  
“No, I think not, Mr. Parker. But you will be happy to know, it wasn’t her that let the cat out of the bag about your secret.”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes. “I know, it was Mac. He heard MJ call me by my name – “  
  
“Oops, no, wrong again, Peter.”   
  
Peter glanced at Mac who was just rubbing his mechanical hand absently as he stared Peter down.   
  
“Do you want to know who told me, Mr. Parker? Are you sure you can handle the betrayal?”   
  
Peter shook his head. “I don’t… what…”   
  
Mr. Osborn pushed May back toward Mac, who caught her with his mechanical hand. “Should I tell him, Mr. Leeds, or would you like to do the honors?”   
  
Peter spun around and stared at Ned, who had pressed himself against the back wall, shrinking down. He looked at Peter with eyes full of regret. “Ned? Wh…wh..what’s he talking about?”   
Michelle groaned. “Ned, no, you didn’t….”   
  
Mr. Osborn laughed again. “I have to hand it to my son – he knew Ned was the weakest link. Poor Ned Leeds, all he wants is a piece of his best friend’s glory, no matter how he has to get it.” Peter continued to stare at Ned, who was shaking his head furiously, repeating under his breath, ‘no, no, not true, not true.’ “See I had asked Harry to befriend you, Peter, to find out what secrets you knew about Tony Stark. However, you seemed to be too elusive. But he recognized that Ned wasn’t. He had… what do you kids call it these days? Ah, yes, no filter. He saw Ned’s jealousy of you, of your new relationship with Miss Jones, and when you, Miss Jones, scheduled our interview yesterday, he used that time to get ‘close’ to Mr. Leeds.”   
  
“Peter, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Ned whimpered.   
  
Peter thought everything that had happened so far had been the worst, but this… this was making his heart tear apart. He felt tears springing in his eyes as the betrayal bore into his chest, slowly and painfully.   
  
“It appears Mr. Leeds couldn’t wait to tell my son all about your little secret, which I must say is so much better than any information about Tony Stark. And of course, Harry told me so that he could get what I had promised him – complete independence of me.” Mr. Osborn chuckled. “You should have taken better care of who kept your secret, Mr. Parker.”   
  
Ned stumbled forward toward Peter and made a grab for his arm, but Peter pulled away. “Peter, I didn’t know… I’m so sorry… I was just so angry at you and MJ, and it slipped out. Please, Peter.”   
  
Peter stared at his groveling best friend. “How could you, Ned? You promised me… you’re my best friend…” He felt hollow and heavy all at the same time.   
  
“Peter, I know, I messed up, I’m sorry okay, but you – “  
  
Peter cut him off and turned his attention back to Mr. Osborn. “So, what do you want?”   
  
Mr. Osborn smiled. “Finally, we can get to this. What do I want, Mr. Parker? That is easy, I want you. At first, I wanted to simply kill you, get you out of my way so I can continue my work unhindered. But your visit to my office yesterday brought to light new information, and now I want something different. I want to know how my spider serum, which killed so many of my test subjects, worked on you, a teenage boy. Oh yes, don’t think I didn’t put the puzzle together once I found out who you really are. The look on your face as you observed my little eight-legged friends said enough.”   
  
“So, if I go with you, you’ll let my friends go, you’ll let Aunt May go?” Peter asked, taking a step toward Mr. Osborn.   
  
“Peter, no,” May said sternly. “You can’t do that.”   
  
“I’m gonna have to agree with your Aunt on this one,” Michelle pointed out, grabbing his hand and pulling him to face her. “Peter, I know you’re upset, I know you’re hurting, but you can’t do this,” she said in a lower voice.   
  
Peter looked down at their hands, fingers entwined. He turned his head toward Mr. Osborn. “You’ll let them go, and won’t hurt them?”   
  
Mr. Osborn smiled. “Unlike some people in this room, Mr. Parker, I am a man of my word. Yes, I will let them go and won’t hurt them.”   
  
Peter glared at him for a second before turning back to Michelle. “Michelle….”  
  
“NO,” she shook her head, her eyes tearing up. It hurt him even more to see her cry. “Peter, you can’t do this.”   
  
He pulled her close to him, and he pressed his lips against hers, which were salty from the tears that had fallen on them. He then pulled away from her and undid his web shooters, letting them drop from his wrists to the top of his backpack. He walked up to Mr. Osborn, balling his fists. “Okay, let’s go.”   
  
Mr. Osborn snapped his fingers and Mac stomped toward Peter, snatching him up with his tail. He tightened his grip around Peter’s body, making him groan in pain. “I’ve got you now you little shit,” Mac snarled. He lifted Peter to his eye level. “Look what you did to me,” he growled, gesturing to his face.  
  
“You know, it’s really not that bad of a look; makes you look tougher than you actually are,” Peter replied, making Mac roar with anger. He flung his tail against the wall, smashing Peter against it. Peter let out an ‘Oomphf’ as he felt the impact of the hit all over. Then Mac slammed him down onto the ground, and Peter’s head hit first, cracking the hard wood. Peter could feel the cold wetness of his blood start to trickle down his forehead, and when he opened up his eyes, he could see stars dancing before him.   
  
“Stop it!” May shouted, running toward him. Mac cut her off with his tail.   
  
Mr. Osborn reached down and grabbed Peter by his hair, pulling his head up. “Jealous of your friend now, Mr. Leeds?” he asked Ned who stared at Peter in horror. Peter stared back, an empty stare of defeat. “Come Mac, we must leave these three to their own devices. We have work to do.” He then slammed Peter’s head into the ground, knocking him unconscious. Mr. Osborn Lifted him up and threw Peter over his shoulder as if he weighed no more than a light spring jacket, stepped onto his glider and pointed to the door.   
  
Mac pushed Michelle and Ned to the side as he made his way to the door, tearing the handle off and pushing the door open. Norman stepped on his glider and took flight. “Now, if you try to contact help, I can assure you that Mr. Parker will be dead before help can get there.” He nodded to them before soaring through the door, Mac lumbering after him. 


	19. So What Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up and running! Enjoy!

He tapped his fingers against the window nervously, staring out into the quickly darkening sky. His mind churned over the last look he got from Peter before he shut the door and locked him and his friends into the study with his father. While he looked confused, there seemed to be a realization in his eyes; as if he already knew what Harry had done, what was about to happen. Harry had never felt regret and anguish over the things he had done before, so this new feeling was overwhelming, and was leaving him feeling sick.   
  
_Tap, tap, tap tap tap. Tap, tap, tap tap tap._   
  
He didn’t even know why he felt that way; Peter was no one. He was just some kid that Harry followed around on his father’s orders. He was nice enough, seemed to care about Harry, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t really Harry’s friend. Although, Harry never had any real friends to know the difference. Most kids in his other schools hung out with him because of his father’s money. Michelle and Ned may not have seemed to care about Harry much, but Peter was always asking him if he could help. He always wanted to help. Hero complex, he reasoned, although even that excuse didn’t seem to hold up to the other part of Harry’s brain. He went with Harry even when Harry was acting strange, which meant Peter did care about him. _And I gave him up like a bad habit_ ¸ he thought bitterly.   
  
_Tap, tap, tap. Tap tap tap. Tap, tap, tap. Tap tap tap._  
  
“Harry, as much as I enjoy listening to your drumming, do you mind if I turn something on?” Andrew asked from the front seat.   
  
Harry stopped tapping his fingers. “Oh, yeah sorry Andrew, I’m just… thinking.”   
  
Andrew eyed him from the rear view mirror. “What are you thinking about?” When Harry didn’t respond, Andrew continued. “I’m sure he’s fine, right? He’s Spider-Man after all. I’m sure he can defeat your father.”   
  
“Did you see dad? He doesn’t look right, Andrew.”   
  
“I agree with that. He’s gone a bit mental, hasn’t he? Makes him even more dangerous. It’s a good thing, then you’re not caught in the middle of that, right? Let Mr. Parker fight his way out of that.”   
  
Harry narrowed his eyes at Andrew. “I feel like you’re trying to tell me something, Andrew,” he said slowly.   
  
Andrew shrugged as he turned down the street, heading toward the highway. “Not trying to tell you anything, Harry. You’re independent now. This is your life. You make all the decisions now, not your father, not me, no one.” He started going on about taking a trip to Australia, a place where Andrew had always wanted to go. Harry wasn’t paying attention to Andrew’s ramblings, however.  
  
Harry looked down at his lap. There he had a picture of him and his mother when he was only two. He had grabbed it from the living room before he bolted out of his house. She looked so happy to be holding him, so peaceful. He wondered what she would have thought about his actions. Would she have been proud of him? Would she have understood? She may have been the only person to have loved both Harry and his father. What would she have done?   
  
“Andrew, you and dad never really talk about mom, why is that?” Harry asked him suddenly.   
  
“What? Oh, well, Harry, your father forbid it in a way. He didn’t want to talk about her, so, we didn’t talk about her.”   
  
“But why? I mean, shouldn’t we have celebrated her life instead of hiding it?”   
  
“To celebrate and remember your mother would mean for your father to finally forgive himself and others for what happened to her…. And I don’t think your father wanted to forgive anyone. He his a stubborn man, you see, not so unlike yourself.”   
  
Harry frowned. “She died from cancer, there was nothing dad could do about that; nothing anyone could do.”   
  
“True, but your father didn’t, doesn’t, see it that way. With all of the advances in technology and medicine, your father was sure there was a way to fix her, to rid the disease from her body. However, we can build spaceships to head to the stars, but cancer still alludes our grasp.”   
  
“What was she like?”   
  
Andrew smiled at him through the rear view mirror. “She was a lovely person, Harry. She had a way of making everyone feel at ease no matter who they were or where they came from. I suspect, your life would have been very different had she not passed away.”   
  
He thought about Peter. He had no family, other than his aunt, no money to speak of, and yet, Harry was convinced that if he were in Harry’s shoes, he never would have given up a friend’s secret identity to protect himself. He would have found another way. He wanted to help Harry with his father, and Harry rebuked him, instead choosing to hurt him and possibly even getting him killed. Wow, I really am a disappointment, he thought, stuffing the picture into his duffel bag at his feet.   
  
“About to turn onto the highway, Harry. Then we should be on our way to JFK and on to the rest of your life; if that’s what you want, of course.”   
  
Harry turned the picture of him and his mother over. “Andrew, I think we need to turn around.”

 

* * *

  
  
Michelle mindlessly rubbed Peter’s backpack as she sat, back against the far wall, as far away from Ned as possible. Ned was sitting, cross-legged against the wall opposite of her, staring helplessly at his hands, while Aunt May had folded into herself, her long, chestnut hair hanging over her face, and was sobbing quietly.   
  
“I can’t believe you, Ned,” she said softly, glaring at him.   
  
Ned looked up at her, shame written all over his face. “I’m sorry okay?! How was I supposed to know that Harry’s dad is an evil villain!?”  
  
“Uh, maybe because you knew we were going to Oscorp for the sole purpose of revealing his involvement with the Goblin!? I mean, why did you do it? Why did you tell Harry that Peter was Spider-Man?”  
  
“I was mad okay! He wasn’t answering his phone; you guys had promised to call me when you were done. The last month, you two have been hanging out together all the time, and I feel he didn’t wanna hang out with me anymore.”   
  
Michelle rolled her eyes. “Ned, all Peter has been the last month is so careful with your feelings. I’m sorry, we’re hanging out, I’m sorry we are together! if I had known you couldn’t be grown up enough to let your best friend have a girlfriend, I would have gotten out of the way,” Ned looked at her hopefully, “NO, I’m not now, dumbass. Look, I know it has to suck that Peter has these super powers, and these super friends, and now he has a girlfriend. But that doesn’t make you any less special okay, and it doesn’t make Peter like you less. Now, telling his secret to his arch-enemy’s son? Yeah that might piss him off a little bit.”  
  
Ned just hung his head. “Ned, you’re Peter’s best friend, he cares about you more than he probably should,” Michelle continued. “It’s not easy, all of this, I got it, but at the end of the day, we have to the be the ones that Peter can trust because if we aren’t, then who can he trust?” She sighed and looked down at his backpack once more. “What are we doing right now?” she said quietly, mostly to herself. They both looked up at her. “We need to find Peter,” she said, louder this time.   
  
“You heard Norman. He’ll kill Peter if we go look for him or try to get help,” May quickly retorted, wiping tears from her face. “That bastard. I can’t believe I even thought he might be a good father figure for Peter. I’m such an idiot.”   
  
“No, you’re not, May, you’re not an idiot. But, whether or not we go for help, Mr. Osborn is going to try and kill Peter. So we have to try.”   
  
“And what can we do, MJ? We don’t have superpowers or anything! All we will do is get ourselves killed,” Ned said gloomily.  
  
She glared at him. “Really? You’re really not interested in helping Peter after what you did?”   
  
Ned shrank back. “No, it’s not that, okay? I just don’t know what we can do.”   
  
“Well, we have to do something.” She pulled her phone out. “We should call Tony Stark.”   
  
“Oh okay, do you have his phone number?” Ned replied sarcastically.  
  
Michelle thought for a beat. “No, I don’t, May do you have his number?”   
  
May smirked sadly. “I did, but Norman crushed my phone.”   
  
Michelle cursed under her breath. “Great, so the only person who could help us, we have no way of reaching him.” She looked down at Peter’s backpack and paused. “Wait a minute.” She zipped open his backpack and pulled out his Spider-Man suit. “Karen will know it.” She stared at the suit, looking for something to turn it on. “Uh, so how do I do this?”   
  
“Press that little spider there on the middle of his suit,” Ned answered. “It kind of turns the whole system on.”   
  
Michelle pressed the spider and suit emitted a series of beeps. “Great, it’s working, so now what?”  
  
“The mask, put it on, and Karen will be come on,” Ned instructed.   
  
Michelle gave him a deadpanned look. “I have to put the mask on?”  
  
“Yeah, since Peter doesn’t have it hooked up to his computer at home.”   
  
She sighed and slipped the mask on. “This cannot be good for my curls… Uh, hello? Karen?”   
  
The computer display in the mask came on and Michelle jumped back. “Hello Peter, have you told Michelle you loved her yet?”   
  
Michelle blanched. “Uh, Karen, this is actually Michelle, and no, he hasn’t,” she replied, the last part a little resentfully.  
  
“Well don’t worry Michelle, he does love you.”   
  
“Oh, I’m so relieved, thanks,” she said sarcastically.   
  
“Michelle, why are you wearing Peter’s suit?”   
  
“Because he’s been kidnapped, and we need your help.”   
  
“Kidnapped? By whom?”  
  
“Mr. Osborn, or the Goblin, or whatever you want to call him – the bad guy. So we need you to get us Tony Stark’s number.”   
  
“Would you like me to call him?”   
  
“Uh, no give me the number and we will call. I need you to track Peter’s phone.”   
  
“Track Peter’s phone?” May asked incredulously.   
  
“Yeah, I know it was still in his pocket when Mr. Osborn took him. I doubt he thought to look for it, so if Karen can track it, we can get a location.”   
  
“Certainly, let me get Tony’s number for you.” She pulled up the phone number up on the screen, and Michelle quickly typed it into her phone.   
  
“May, here, keep dialing that number until Tony answers.”   
  
May nodded and took the phone.   
  
“Okay, I am tracking Peter’s cell phone now,” Karen answered.   
  
Michelle paced in a small circle, her face starting to sweat from the mask; the harder she breathed, the more moisture and heat seemed to fill up the small space. “How does he wear this thing all the time?” she muttered.   
  
“Would you like me to activate the cooling system?” Karen asked.  
  
“Uh, what? No, no thanks,” Michelle replied. She looked over at May, who was redialing the phone. “Any luck?”  
  
“I’ve left him about 10 messages so far, but you know Tony, only answers when its convenient for him,” May remarked, a look of despair etched in her features. Michelle looked away from her, the ache from seeing Peter’s aunt so upset too much.   
  
“I’m really sorry, May,” Ned said in a low voice, not looking at her.   
  
May turned her head toward him, bewildered by his sudden submission of regret. “Oh Ned, I… I don’t think I’m the one you need to apologize to.”   
  
Michelle grunted and continued digging through Peter’s backpack to busy herself while she waited for the blip on the virtual screen in her vision to stop moving. As she dug through, she found Peter’s old web shooters, the ones he had taken off right before he let Norman take him. Michelle pulled them out and examined them.   
  
The design looked simple enough, but Michelle knew it wasn’t the cuff that was ingenious as it was the web fluid in the small vial attached to them. She had always known Peter was smart, it was one of the qualities that attracted her to him, but she realized he was a genius. A genius with a hero complex, she thought. How often did that turn out badly? She slipped the cuffs onto her own wrists, trying to imitate Peter’s hand motions.   
  
“Peter’s phone has stopped moving,” Karen announced to her, making Michelle jump and accidentally spray webbing in May’s direction. She managed to see it coming just in time to doge it.   
“Sorry,” Michelle apologized, grimacing. She then turned her attention to the virtual screen. “919 Hillside Avenue… Wait it says it’s a Sears outlet?”  
  
“It closed down about six months ago,” Karen explained. “According to bank records, a purchase was made on the property right when it closed, an undisclosed investor who paid cash.”  
   
“Probably, Mr. Osborn,” Michelle muttered. “Okay Karen, we’ll take it from here.” She pulled the mask off her face, grateful to be able to breath the much drier air in the room. “Okay, we have an address, 919 Hillside Avenue. Any luck with Tony yet?”   
  
May shook her head. “No, I’m sorry.”   
  
“It’s okay, you have to keep trying… you also need to get out of here, but also, keep trying. You can take my phone.”   
  
“Wait, you act like you’re going somewhere,” Ned spoke up, walking toward her.   
  
She swung Peter’s backpack over her shoulder. “I’m going to find Peter and get him his suit.”   
  
“MJ are you crazy!?  You can’t just go waltzing into some abandoned Sears like you’re buying a new dishwasher and hand Peter his suit without Mr. Osborn trying to kill him or worse you!” Ned exclaimed, waving his arms around his head.   
  
Michelle shrugged. “I don’t have a choice. May’s still trying to get a hold of Tony, and we’re all Peter has.” She gestured toward the door with her head. “Are you coming with me?”   
  
Ned hesitated. “I… I…”  
  
“I’ll come with you if you want.”   
  
All three of them turned their heads sharply to see Harry and his butler, Andrew, standing in the doorway. Harry could barely look at them, the anguish written all over his face.   
“What are YOU doing here?” Michelle snarled, shooting daggers in his direction.  
  
“I’ve come to make things right,” Harry replied. He looked at Ned. “I’m sorry I played you like that. It wasn’t right,” and then he looked at May, who turned her gaze away. “And I’m sorry for telling my dad about Peter’s secret. It wasn’t mine to tell. All I wanted was to get away from him, and I didn’t think… I didn’t realize… I’m sorry.”

Ned's eyes were wide with anger. "You're sorry!? Man, I thought you were being nice to me! I thought we were becoming friends, and you just... you promised me you wouldn't tell anyone!" He exclaimed. "MJ, you seriously aren't going to trust this guy are you? He already betrayed us all once, who's to say Mr. Osborn didn't send him back here to play with us and lead us into some trap!" 

Harry winced. "The last thing my father would want is for me to lead you guys anywhere. Where ever he is with Peter, he doesn't want anyone else around, any witnesses. Look, I know I messed up. I know you guys have no reasons to trust me, except this one: I hate my father as much as the rest of you do. The only fatherly thing he's ever done is criticize me for not being smart enough, not being good enough. I'm pretty sure he's angrier that Peter is not his son than the fact that Peter is Spider-Man. I could have just left and forgot all about you guys and Peter. I could be on a plane to Australia right now," 

"Australia?" Michelle interrupted. "Why?"

"'Cause that's where... that's where Andrew's always wanted to visit," Harry said weakly. "Look, that doesn't matter. The fact is, I decided to turn around and come back and try to do something good for a change. Peter saved me from getting arrested, he's always seemed more concerned about me than anyone else I know. I owe it to him to do this."

  
Michelle walked up to him. “So, you’re here to help then?” He nodded. “Good, we are going to need all the help we can get.” Harry gave her a smile, but she brushed past him. “Don’t think we’re good yet, though. Your dad wants to kill Peter, and I don’t think we have a lot of time.”   
  
Harry nodded. “Andrew can take us to where he is… uh, do you know where that is?” Michelle nodded.   
  
“Don’t worry Miss Jones, we will find Mr. Parker,” Andrew replied, and as he did so, he pulled his coat away from his body to reveal a carefully tucked away handgun.   
  
“Can’t say I was ever really happy to see a gun before,” Michelle muttered. “Okay, Ned, are you coming? Final chance.”   
  
“Ned, Peter would want you to go,” May spoke up, as she redialed Tony’s number yet again.  
  
Ned glanced at her and then back at Michelle. “I…I… I can’t. I can’t face him, MJ, I’m sorry.”   
  
She sighed. “Ned, I… can’t right now okay? You don’t want to come, fine. Me and Harry, and Andrew with the big gun over there are leaving. May, hold onto my phone, we’ll call you as soon as we rescue him… Unless, you know, Iron Man gets there first or whatever.” She grabbed Harry’s hand. “Let’s go traitor.”   
  
Harry gulped and followed after her with Andrew taking up the rear. She glanced only once back at Ned, trying to force him to come with them using her mind. Please Ned, be brave. Come help me save Peter. He needs you to come save him, she pleaded to him in her head. He just looked away from her and back down at his hands, and she quickly turned back around, her face never betraying her true thoughts. She was good about that; keeping her emotions on the inside, turning into a stone before everyone’s eyes.   
  
As they hurried to the black Town Car, she overheard Andrew say to Harry, “I am very proud of you Harry.”  
  
“Thanks Andrew, but I’ll wait for your praise until after we actually save Peter,” Harry replied. He noticed Michelle watching them and he reddened.   
  
Michelle remembered how Harry had said once that his fondest memories were of trips that he and Andrew went on together. She started to get the feeling that Andrew meant more to Harry than just the hired help. Michelle had never known anyone other than her own father to be a prominent male figure in her life. She realized two things: how lucky she was, and how much alike Harry and Peter were.   
  
Once they got into the car and started heading toward the address that Michelle had given Harry, she said to him, “So why did you do it?”  
  
“Have you seen my father?”   
  
She shook her head. “But, if you knew that Peter was Spider-Man, didn’t you think that maybe he could help you?”   
  
Harry just shrugged. “Not many people want to help me, Michelle. Why should they? I’m a rich spoiled brat, right?”   
  
He looked at her for a beat longer than usual, and she just stared back at him with a blank look. “Are you expecting me to contradict that or…” He laughed self-deprecatingly, which made Michelle smile and chuckle.

"Look, my dad promised me freedom, and I never had any real friends, so it's just taken me a bit longer to realize who actually cares about me and who doesn't."

“You’re not terrible, Harry. I think my parents would call you… misguided. Just don’t rat Peter out to his enemies again, and I think we will all get along great.” Harry’s face reddened again, and he gave her a strangled smile. “Your dad is a pretty horrible person though. I mean, he’s working his way up to Hitler-level evil. The only thing he hasn’t done was commit mass genocide yet.”   
  
“Don’t count him out just yet on that one,” Harry muttered. “You know, my dad wasn’t always so bad. He was a pretty decent guy some of the time. But then he sent me off, decided his work was more important than being my father, and I don’t know, he started changing. I really think seeing Tony Stark become Iron Man, reach these new levels of fame and fortune, I guess it just broke him you know.”  
  
“Yeah, okay, about that… what is their deal anyway? I get jealousy, but your dad’s utter hate for Tony shocks me.”   
  
“He never explained it really. Just said Tony ruined his life, and told me repeatedly. I guess that’s why I hated him too because in a way, he ruined my life in a way.”   
  
Michelle clutched Peter’s backpack close to her chest and let Harry’s word sink in as she looked out the window. “Well, let’s hope Tony Stark comes and helps us or he may very well ruin a lot more than just yours and your dad’s life.”


	20. Down For The Count

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I am so Sorry!!! it has been forever since I've posted a chapter. December has been a crazy month with the holiday coming up and a lot of work stuff (event planning is busy!) But I wanted to get something out to you guys, even if it is a little bit. I plan on writing alot more over the next week since I'm off work till the first of the year. Enjoy and thank you for the comments and kudos!!!

The distant of car horns and squealing tires slowly woke Peter up from his unconscious state. His head felt heavy and a dull pain was pulsating in the center of his face. He started to open up his eyes, but a searing white light greeted him, hurting his eyes. He scrunched up his face in irritation. “What the hell?” he muttered. He blinked his eyes in quick succession to adjust to the bright light. As his eyes adjusted, he looked around him, and his eyes fell on the high concrete ceiling above him. It was spotted with metal strips of bulbs. He turned his head toward the left, and caught sight of white steel shelves piled up in a far corner along with gleaming metal garment racks.   
  
Peter couldn’t recognize his surroundings. He started to try and get up, but found himself strapped down tightly. He tried to move his wrists, but something cold and smooth held them down. Shit, Peter thought, craning his neck to see the thick metal restraints that were locked down on his wrists. He assumed they were also around his ankles because he had trouble moving those as well.   
  
As if on instinct, his heartbeat began to speed up, and Peter broke out into a nervous sweat. He was trapped. He had no idea where, maybe an abandoned clothing store from what little he could see to his left. He turned his head to the right, and that’s when he was assaulted with the presence of large white machines, whirring and humming, and red, clear, and blue lights blinking in a syncopated rhythm. He could make out a computer screen that displayed different readings: heart rate, pulse, oxygen levels, and fluid levels.   
Peter felt a panic take over him as he realized that he readings were his own. He followed the tubes coming from the machine to his arms and some, he must have guessed, to his legs.  
  
“Wha…” he struggled once more, but the more he struggled the more his wrists and ankles hurt from straining against the metal bands around them. _I wonder if I can dislocate my thumbs and slip out of the restraints that way? That’d be a_ really _Black Widow thing to do,_ he thought, but dismissed the idea quickly because… the thought made his fingers hurt.

  
Just beyond the machine was a table, and on that table, were syringes, jars, different surgical tools, and a computer that seemed to be controlling everything. Peter craned his neck to try and see what the screen read, but the angle was just off that it made it hard for him to make out any useful information.   
  
“Looking for something?”   
  
Peter snapped his neck back to the left and saw Norman Osborn walking casually toward him. From far away, Osborn looked worse than he did at the mansion. Peter wondered how much of the liquid Oz he had been injecting himself with. Surely, it was more than his body could handle in such a short amount of time. That was way his eye twitched and his hands trembled. However, the snide look never left his face. Whatever war the drug was raging with his body and mind, it did not hinder him from his feelings of triumph.   
  
“Yes, actually, a blue sweater, in a medium if you don’t mind,” Peter retorted.   
  
Osborn cackled loudly, itching Peter’s eardrums. “Oh my, you really are quite a character aren’t you Spider-Man? Even faced with your own mortality, you choose jokes. Although, I guess I did warrant that given the locale. Yes, not my most ingenious hideout, I’ll admit. Or is it?” He walked over to the computer and hit a few buttons and all of a sudden Peter felt a rush of cold fluids flooding his body. “Must keep your energy up for a little bit longer, Mr. Parker.”   
  
Peter shivered from the cold. “So what are your plans for me? Dissect me like a frog?”   
  
“No, no, Mr. Parker… not yet. First, I want to find out all that the spider serum enhanced in you. Then… I can use your blood to make others just like you. Imagine how much money there is in soldier enhancement. Stark knows all the secrets, he has all the power with Captain America and that freak Banner on his side, yet he holds back and does nothing.”   
  
“Because it’s dangerous!” Peter exclaimed. “Me and the Captain, we’re the lucky ones. I don’t think anyone is scrambling to turn into a rage monster every time someone pisses them off.”   
  
“You’re not just the lucky ones, you’re the examples by which scientists should be looking to. You are proof that it is possible to achieve the ultimate biochemical enhancement in humans.” He placed his hands firmly on the table, taking deep breaths to calm the tremors in his hands. Peter noticed it, squinting hard at Osborn. He noticed Peter’s scrutiny and gruffly turned away. “You’re blood could be the answer to curing diseases and sickness! It could save millions of lives and also improve those same lives. The next stage of human evolution. And, once I uncover the secret that lies within your blood, I will finally have a chance to take Tony Stark down and make him pay for what he’s taken from me.”   
  
“Which is what, exactly? What did Tony do to you? Steal your tech? destroyed something? I just don’t get it,” Peter pushed back.   
  
Osborn chortled sardonically. “Steal my tech? how inexperienced and naïve you reveal yourself Mr. Parker. No, no, but you will soon understand my pain… or, well, your Aunt and your friends will, might I say.”   
  
His hand started tremoring again, and he cursed loudly. “It’s the Oz isn’t it?” Peter suddenly said aloud, staring at Osborn’s hand. “You’re having an adverse effect to its long term use.”   
  
“A necessary evil to achieve greatness,” Osborn grunted as he fumbled for a syringe and bottle of green liquid. Shakily, he injected the syringe needle into the bottle and extracted the liquid. Slipping the syringe between his lips, he rolled up his left sleeve, exposing the bruised underside of his elbow. Peter’s eye’s widened.  
  
“That can’t be good, Mr. Osborn. You need to see a doctor, get weaned off that stuff. It’s going to kill you!”   
  
Osborn, ignoring him, stuck the needle into his arm, and the tremors slowly subsided. “I don’t need a doctor, Mr. Parker, I just need your blood. Whatever is in it has stabilized the drug to its right effect. I need you.”  
  
He set the syringe down and picked up an IV. “All right now, let’s begin, shall we?” He walked over to Peter’s restrained body, and bent down over his arm. Peter wrestled against his restraints furiously, but Osborn took hold of his arm with one hand and used his increased strength to steady Peter so he could stick him with the IV. He wasn’t gentle about the encounter either and Peter groaned with pain as the IV needle entered his skin. “Sorry about that… But, not really,” Osborn said, looking at Peter with a sadistic smile.   
  
Peter watched as the blood in his arm started to flow into the IV, and panic started to take over his body. “Look, Mr. Osborn, if you do this… You realize that you are making enemies of all the Avengers. Tony Stark is going to come after you, one way or another.”   
  
“I think I can handle those costumed crusaders,” Osborn scoffed. He turned away from Peter and started to busy himself on his computer.  
  
Suddenly they heard two loud gun shots coming from outside of the building. Osborn’s head shot up. “What the hell?” He muttered. “Sit tight Mr. Parker, I’ll be right back.” He grabbed the goblin mask that was sitting next to the computer and slipped it on over his head. Then he raced over to his glider, which Peter now noticed was laying on the ground just beyond him, and when Osborn jumped on, it activated, raising him into the air. Giving Peter a quick nod, he sped off toward the sound of the bullets. 


	21. The Showdown Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up! Sorry for the delay; it's been a crazy couple of months, and I haven't had time to write as much as I would have liked. Thank you for all the kudos! Hope you enjoy!

“Anyone need a new washer?” Harry said sarcastically, as they pulled up to the side of the abandoned Sears store. While the front of the store faced out to the main road that was fairly busy with the rush hour traffic of the evening, the side of the building overlooked a side street that was one lane and lined with trees and telephone poles. There was no sign of other vehicles, but they all knew that Peter and Norman didn’t get there by a car. 

“Didn’t know you knew that a Sears sold appliances,” Michelle muttered as she slipped Peter’s back pack on her back.

“I may be rich, but I’m not an idiot,” Harry retorted. “You ready?”

She tightened the straps and nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be to face an evil villain to save my boyfriend with superpowers.” Her eye’s widened as she thought of something, and rummaged around her back pocket, pulling out her small can of mace. “It helped once,” she replied. 

Harry nodded. “Good idea. Okay, Andrew, you’re going to wait here?”

“Yes, I’ll keep a lookout. You are sure you don’t want me to come in there with you?” 

“As comforting as it would be to have the extra firepower, we need to be stealthy, and we need a getaway car.” 

“Of course; but if I don’t see you guys in 30 minutes, I’m coming after you.”

“Deal, okay MJ, let’s do this.” 

They both exited the car and made their way toward the back of the store. Harry pointed to the outer wall of the building, and they both walked up to it and flattened their backs against it, edging their way to the back door. “All right, so what’s our plan again? We are going to creep slowly to the back door, somehow pry it open if it’s locked, and then somehow distract your dad so we can free Peter and give him his suit?” she gestured toward the backpack on her back. 

Harry’s eyes shifted from side to side, looking for signs of trouble. “Yeah, I admit, this isn’t the best plan I ever came up with, but I figured we’d have to wing a lot of it.”   
Michelle rolled her eyes. “Why do I feel regret coming on?” 

They reached the edge of the building, and Harry stopped. He motioned for her to stay still as he craned his neck around the corner to see the back of the store. The back of the store was sparse, save for two large blue dumpsters rusting on their edges, and two abandoned trailers for semi-trucks that were butted against the large overhead doors of the shipping and receiving area. There was an uneasy quietness in the air however, only magnified by the creeping darkness. 

“Why couldn’t all of this have happened in the morning?” Michelle muttered, her eyes pleading with the setting sun to stay up just a little bit longer.

They slowly eased around the edge of the building and Michelle followed Harry toward one of the doors, which they both assumed would lead them inside. 

“You know, all my bravery is suddenly gone,” Michelle whispered. “Maybe we should go back and get your butler…” 

“Oh yes, that would be an excellent idea.” The words were followed by a low, throaty chuckle. 

Harry grabbed at Michelle’s hand and she pushed it away quickly. “Mac Gargan,” She stated, trying to mask the fear that was rising inside her. 

They both turned and stood face-to-face with Mac, his eyes glowing in the darkness, the gleam of his metal armor shimmering in the night. 

“Boss knew you wouldn’t listen. He knew you’d come after him,” he clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in disapproval. “He’ll be surprised by you, little Osborn,” He turned his attention to Harry. “You’re supposed to be on a plane.” 

“Yeah, well, some of us actually have consciences they want to clear,” Harry shot back, although he took a few steps back behind Michelle. She rolled her eyes at him. 

“I never had much use for a conscience,” Mac replied. “I’d hate to kill you too, but I guess your dad would understand.” 

Michelle noticed the swift movement of Mac’s tail and pushed Harry out of the way before it came plunging toward them. “Harry, we have to get away from that thing!” 

Mac snarled and briskly moved toward them, his tail lashing out, trying to catch them. Harry and Michelle dodged it, and then made a run for one of the rusting dumpsters. “Here’s let’s get behind this,” Harry exclaimed. 

They neared the dumpster, but stopped short as it slowly lifted into the air. Michelle turned and saw that Mac had beat them to it, and had wrapped his mechanical tail around the dumpster. “Shit,” she muttered.

He laughed, gleefully, and threw the dumpster toward them, each one going an opposite direction. Michelle fell against her arm, and could feel a sharp pain shoot up her arm. She cried out, cradling it. 

“There you are, my little black widow,” Mac said, inching toward her his one good arm and one mechanical arm outstretched toward her. 

“You are such a fucking racist, get away from me!” Michelle spat out, trying to get to her feet, wincing from the pain in her arm. She suddenly remembered her little container of mace, and drew it out. “Remember this?” She held it out in front of her, and started spraying wildly without abandoned. 

Mac just laughed and used his tail to slap the container from her hand. “Silly girl. I was going to make it nice and quick for you, but I think I’d enjoy it more if it was nice and slow.”   
Michelle stumbled back and fell onto her back, crying out again from the pain. Mac was nearly on top of her, when she heard Harry shout, “Hey asshat!” 

Mac turned around, and Harry shot him in the face with a blast of mace. Mac grabbed at his face with his good hand and fell to his knees from the shock. “You little piece of shit!” he shouted, trying frantically to wipe the burning liquid off his eyes. 

Harry grabbed Michelle’s hand and helped her to her feet. “Come on, we gotta get inside!” 

Michelle nodded and followed him, but felt something trip them both up – Mac’s tail.

“Oh no you don’t!” Mac shouted. He raced toward them as they were both trying to get bac to their feet. He was about to reach them when suddenly two shots rang out in the night air. They watched in horror as a bullet pierced through Mac’s skull, splaying blood out from the middle of his forehead. His face went slack, as did the rest of his body, and he fell on the spot where he stood. Harry clutched Michelle’s arm fiercely, trying to keep himself upright. 

Beyond him stood Andrew, his firearm still aimed at Mac. “You two all right?” He shouted at them. 

Michelle glanced at Harry who looked pale. “Uh, Harry?” 

He shook his head, turned, and bent over. A clear bile came up and out of his mouth. Michelle scrunched up her nose in disgust and turned to Andrew. He had sprung over to them, holstering his gun. “Wow, that was a really good shot,” Michelle said suspiciously.

Andrew approached Harry and rubbed his back. “I know it may be surprising, but I had quite an adventurous life before I moved to America and started working for Mr. Osborn.   
“This isn’t adventurous enough for you?” she retorted, making Andrew grin. “Harry, how are you feeling?” 

“I…I… I’m good. I just never seen blood, and, uh, brains, and, hold on,” he bent back over and puked up the rest of his stomach’s contents. 

“Norman would have heard those shots,” Andrew said quickly. “He’s going to investigate.” 

Michelle and Harry exchanged glances. “So, what do we do?” Harry asked him. 

“You two get in there, stay hidden until you see him come out.” 

“What about you?” Harry asked him, anxiously.

Andrew gave him a sad smile. “Someone needs to keep him occupied long enough for you two to get Mr. Parker free.” 

Harry shook his head. “No, nope. You’re coming with us.” He looked at Michelle, who had gone quiet. “Michelle, tell him, we need him to come with us!” 

Michelle looked at Andrew with grateful eyes. “Thank you for saving our lives,” she said. 

Harry balked at her. “Are you kidding me!? Andrew, look, You’re not, you can’t…”

Andrew placed his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “Harry, I never had any children. Spent too much time trying to live life, that I never got a chance to live it properly. However, you are more like a son to me than you will ever know.” 

Harry wiped away the tears that started to burn hotly in his eyes. “Andrew, don’t do this.” 

“I am very proud of you Harry, and I love you. But you need to go and save your friend and make this right. I’ll try my best to protect you.” 

“You have been protecting me, my whole life,” Harry whimpered. He fell into Andrew’s arms, and Andrew hugged the boy tightly. Michelle turned away to give them a moment of privacy, blinking back her own tears. 

They suddenly heard the whirring of Norman’s Goblin glider from inside the building. “Go, NOW!” Andrew said harshly, pushing Harry toward Michelle. 

The two pulled the door open and slipped inside the building. When the door closed, they found themselves in the darkened stock rooms of the old Sears. Harry pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight feature, just as the two of them nearly knocked into a naked mannequin. 

“Whoa!” Harry exclaimed, pulling Michelle back. 

“Well, that’s creepy,” she stated, looking wearily at the flesh-colored mannequin and its vacant look. “What happened to bad guys using, like, old stockyards and stuff as their evil lairs?” 

Harry shrugged. “My father isn’t just any bad guy.” 

She nodded. “Truer words were never spoken.” She then heard the sound of the glider and covered up Harry’s lights. “Shhh,” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him toward the edge of one of the stockroom metal shelves. 

A door burst open ahead of them, and they saw the green glint of the Goblin attire and glider heading toward the door that they just came from. “Andrew,” Harry whispered frantically.

Michelle dug her nails into his arm and shook his head. “Don’t move,” she whispered through gritted teeth. She pulled him along as they made their way silently toward the door that Norman had just flown through. Her heartbeat started to quicken as she realized that they were getting closer to Peter. She just had to make it into that room. 

They pushed through the door, which spat them out into what seemed like the employee break area. 

“I hate department stores,” Michelle moaned. “Turn that light back on.” 

Harry turned the flashlight back on, and they weaved their way through the employee area toward the door that seemed to take them onto the floor of the store. When they pushed through It, they stopped.

Metal shelving and clothes racks were scattered about, and old wall partitions were pushed up against the edges of the expanse of the department store floor. A few halogenic lights were lit, mostly in the middle of the expansive floor, lighting a circular display of scientific equipment. Although Michelle couldn’t see him, she could hear Peter grunting and jerking as he struggled against his restraints. 

“He’s there!” Michelle whispered excitedly. She burst out into a run toward him. “Peter!” 

The grunting stopped. “Michelle?!” he called out. 

She pushed through the buzzing machines and saw Peter strapped down onto a metal gurney. He craned his neck around to try and see her, so she moved closer, grabbing his hand. He met her eyes and his own widened in shock. “Michelle, what the hell are you doing here!?” 

“We’re here to save you, duh,” Harry replied, coming up behind her. 

Peter looked around her and his eyes got even wider. “Harry?” 

Harry reddened and started walking over to the computer on Peter’s right side. “Yeah, um, look, about everything…” 

“Harry came back to help,” Michelle intervened. “He’s on our side. Trust me about this.” 

Peter kept his eyes trained on Harry. “She’s right, I’m trying to make amends. I want to help you.” 

Peter nodded. “Thanks, man.” Harry nodded back and started looking at the computer. “Where’s Ned?” 

Michelle glanced up at Harry who flinched when Peter said his best friend’s name. “He didn’t come,” she said quietly.

Peter looked crestfallen. “It’s okay, I’m glad you are here.” 

Michelle smiled ruefully. “You better be, and you better think of some pretty fantastic ways to make up for it.” She pulled his backpack off her back and pulled out his suit.   
Peter grinned. “You brought it!? I love you so much Michelle!” 

She nearly stopped breathing when he said it. Peter blushed, and Harry let out a loud cough, which Peter thought he heard a “oh shit” in. “I mean, uh, well…”

“You choose NOW to say it!?” she exclaimed. “Now… while we’re in danger and we could all possibly be dead in a minute?” 

“Is there a better time to say it?” Peter said weakly. “It’s true though.” 

Michelle glared at him for a minute before muttering, “I love you too.” 

“Okay, Jonie and Chachi, can one of you help me figure out how to unlock those restraints so Peter can become Spiderman again?” Harry cut in, staring helplessly at the computer screen. “Remember, just because I go to a school with geniuses doesn’t mean I am one.”

Michelle walked over to the computer. “Okay, first, we have to break the login. Unless, you wouldn’t happen to know what password your dad would use would you?” 

Harry looked at her skeptically. “Yeah, because I know so much about my….” He paused. “Wait a minute…” He leaned over the keyboard and furiously typed something in. The log in screen said, ‘Welcome Mr. Osborn,’ and opened up the system. 

“Wow, you did know it,” Michelle said, impressed. “What was it?” 

“Easy, the only thing that really matters to my dad, my mom’s name, Emily,” he replied. “Gotta thank you two, your little Notebook moment gave me the idea.” 

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Okay, now, let’s find those controls.” She helped Harry search through the computer until they found the control panel for the gurney.

Peter could feel the restraints open as they disabled them. He ankles and wrists seemed to breathe a sigh of relief from the tightness of the metal bands and Peter’s attempts to struggle against them. He sat up, rubbing his bruised wrists. “Thanks, guys.” He grabbed his suit and jumped off the gurney. “What was that sound out there anyway? The one that drew Norman away?” 

“Andrew shot Mac in the head, twice,” Michelle replied, glancing at Harry. He looked down at his feet. 

“Andrew? Your butler?” Peter asked as he slipped his Spiderman suit on. 

“Yeah, he is giving up his life to save you, so you better be grateful!” Harry snapped, and then blushed and looked back at his feet. “Sorry.” 

Peter looked at Michelle worriedly. “What’s he talking about?”

“We better get back out there if we hope to save him at all,” she replied. 

Peter hit the center button of his suit, shrinking it down to fit his body and slipped on his mask. “Okay, let’s go then.” 

They all turned to make for the back door, but were stopped by Norman’s glider as it rushed in front of them. He was dressed in his full Goblin uniform, complete with the menacing mask with large yellow eyes that were wide with some mock glee. 

“Not, so fast,” Norman hissed through his Goblin mask. He was holding Andrew’s struggling body up above him. 

“Andrew!” Harry exclaimed, making for him. Peter held him back. 

“Let him go, Norman, it’s over,” Peter said boldly. 

Norman laughed, making all of them shudder. “You think you can stop me that easily? And look at this, my son, taking his stand against me. I’m glad to see you finally caring about something.” 

“Ha…rry,” Andrew coughed. “Get out of here.” His voice seemed tired and defeated as he struggled to speak as he was being choked by his own collared shirt. 

“Tsk, tsk, Andrew, you shouldn’t speak, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself,” Norman said, tightening his grip around Andrew’s shirt collar, gagging him. 

“Stop it, Dad, please,” Harry begged, his eyes darting between Andrew’s now bulging eyes, and his father’s emotionless masked face. He reached for Peter’s shoulder and squeezed it. “You have to save him,” he whispered urgently.

Peter looked back at him and could see how pained Harry was. “Okay, Norman, I think we’ve talked long enough, right? I mean we got pretty close there while you had me strapped on that table, and I thought we were actually connecting, don’t you? So, come on, let’s just,” Peter snapped out his wrist and a web net shot out toward Norman. Norman was too quick, however and dodged it, rolling his glider out of the way. Peter immediately released another web, aiming for Andrew’s body, but it caught the edge of Norman’s glider, and when he pulled, it threw Norman and Andrew off and they both went tumbling onto the cement ground.

Peter rushed toward them, but Norman recovered quick, pulling Andrew up with him. “You should know when to quit Mr. Parker. You’ll soon learn how in over your head you truly are,” he grabbed Andrew’s head and Peter quickened his pace, a nervous burst of energy hitting him. He nearly made it to them, but Norman was again quicker, tightening his grip on Andrew’s head and twisting it hard. 

The sickening crack made Peter stop in his track, his breath stunted. “No,” he whispered, as he watched Andrew’s now limp body drop to the floor. He could hear Harry shouting expletives in shock, and Michelle repeating, “Holy shit,” in a gasping voice. 

Norman removed his mask so Peter could see the malice and mania behind it. “Want to still play, Mr. Parker?” 

Peter glanced back at Michelle and Harry. “Get him out of here, MJ,” he ordered before leaping into the air and swinging toward Norman on his webs. 

Michelle reached for Harry, who had fallen to his knees. “We gotta get out of here,” she said hurriedly, trying to pull him to his feet.

“He killed him. My dad actually killed him,” Harry moaned into his hands. 

“And he’s gonna kill us next if we don’t leave!” Michelle exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Peter had swung toward Norman and released when he was near, hitting Norman square in the chest with his feet. “You’re gonna pay for that Norman,” Peter said, coming toward him as he got back onto his feet. He went in for a punch, but Norman blocked it, countering him with a knee to his gut. Peter stumbled back, and Norman moved forward, but Peter spun out his webs, catching Norman’s booted feet and pulling them from out underneath him. Norman flipped over and landed on his feet. 

“Well, if I knew it was going to be this much fun, I would have fought you first!” Norman said with a cackle. He pressed a button on his wrist communicator and Peter could hear the whoosh of his glider coming from behind. Peter jumped and twisted his body backward nearly missing the glider as it came soaring underneath him. 

Norman jumped on and went flying into the air, far out of Peter’s reach. Peter leapt up and started swinging higher and higher into the air trying to catch Norman as he flew around, teasing Peter. “Let’s spice things up, shall we?” He pulled some small device off the belt of his suit and threw it at Peter, who dodged it. When it hit one of the pillars and exploded. 

“What the hell?” Peter exclaimed, perching on top of one of the rafters looking at the pillar made of drywall and steel beams come crashing to the ground. He glanced around the mess and saw Michelle and Harry skirting the debris, trying to run for the back door. He looked back at Norman and saw the glider already darting toward the two teenagers. “Hey stay away from my friends!” Peter shouted as he swung between the rafters, chasing after Norman. He let a web grenade go, which caught on one of the thrusters of the glider. As it exploded, it threw Norman off of the glider, which went barreling into a cement pillar just beyond his lab set up. 

Peter’s eyes widened when he realized that the lab was still there, in tack with his blood in vials and vital readings permeating through the system. He picked up an old metal shelving unit with his webs and flung it at the lab desk where the computer and all the vials sat. He was thwarted by Norman, however, who threw one of his mini bombs at it, destroying the shelf before it even hit the ground. 

“You really think you can just destroy all the information I have on you Peter?” Norman growled, his fingers twitching as he spoke. Peter watched the glider fly back toward Norman and hover, just off the ground, and Norman deftly jumped onto it. “Everything that computer has been doing has been backed up immediately onto my company’s cloud drive. I will have all of the information I need even after I kill you.” 

“Should’ve figured a smart guy like you would know what the Cloud was even if you’re like 80 years old,” Peter quipped, charging toward Norman in the air throwing web grenades at him, which Norman dodged while throwing his exploding bombs back at Peter. “Oh come on!” Peter shouted. “Mine don’t kill you at least.” He managed to get behind Norman and grab him by the neck, but Norman flipped Peter over and with great speed and force, drove him into the ground. Peter landed with a heavy thud and groaned in pain. 

“Your ideals blind you, Peter. You have powers that can make you the most powerful person in the world, and yet you use them to save pitiful old ladies whose purse was stolen. I will take your powers and use them how they should be used!” He jumped off the glider and charged Peter grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground. Peter struggled to free himself from Norman’s grasp, clawing his fingers which tightened around Peter’s neck. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave your body with Tony. He’ll want a reminder of how I have finally beat him.” The thought of Tony’s pain made Norman begin to laugh maniacally. 

Peter could feel the pressure in his chest building up as his lungs struggled for breath.

“Peter, your body’s oxygen levels are low,” Karen notified him. 

“No… shit,” Peter struggled to say. He tried to release a web to distract Norman, but he could barely feel his fingers anymore, as his whole body seemed to being going limp. Just as a blackness started to form around the edges of his vision, he heard a deafening explosion. That was just what he needed for Norman to lessen his grip, and Peter pried his fingers apart and fell to the ground, gasping for breath. 

He looked up and saw something fly into the abandoned store from the new hole in the side of the building. 

“You know Norman, I don’t think green is really that great of a look on you,” The voice of Tony Stark rang out as Iron Man flew toward them, landing just a few feet from them.


	22. It All Comes to This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter everyone! Finally got my groove back! Thank you for all the feedback and kudos guys :)

Norman threw his mask off and glared at Tony. “You’re too late Stark! I got it all! I know the little secret you’ve been hiding!” He grabbed Peter’s arm and pulled him up, and then in one swift motion, pulled off Peter’s mask.  
  
Iron Man’s helmet folded back into the suit, revealing the worried, yet annoyed face of Tony Stark. “Bravo, Norman, although Peter made it kind of easy for you, wouldn’t you say?” Tony replied turning to look at Peter, who reddened. “We are gonna talk about you disobeying me later, kid.” Peter opened his mouth to retort but thought better of it. “Okay, Norman, here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re going to drop Peter and then you’re going to come with me so we can get you some help…. Because, boy, you’re looking a bit green these days, don’t you think?”  
  
Norman glared at him and threw Peter to the ground. Peter caught himself and slowly stood up, clutching his mask. He watched the two older men, scientists, and geniuses in their own right; one Peter’s mentor, the other, his unwitting nemesis. “You don’t help people Stark, you destroy them. You destroy their lives and the lives of the people they love,” Norman spat. “No, Tony, I think the last person I need help from is you if I needed help at all.” He pressed the button on his sleeve to call his glider, but the flying machine didn’t move.  
  
“You know I can fly too, right? OH well, doesn’t matter, you can’t anymore. I disabled the thing. This is why you should always put the jets in your suit, right Peter?” Tony said nonchalantly, as Norman kept pressing the button on his sleeve repeatedly, growing more irritated with each pressing. “So, while you’re incapacitated for a bit, let’s talk, Norman, yeah? I think you and I, we have some issues to work out. Let’s Maury this situation right here.”  
  
Norman gave Tony a smirk. “Come now, Stark, you don’t want me to reveal all your darkest secrets to your little protegee do you?” He made a step toward Tony, but stumbled, clutching his head. Peter heard a groan of pain escape his lips.  
  
“Norman, that serum is going to destroy you if you don’t let me help you,” Tony said, taking a step forward. Peter thought he heard Tony say, “Friday, scan Mr. Osborn’s vitals,” under his breath.  
  
“I don’t need help from you Stark, you’ll just kill me,” Mr. Norman wheezed, straightening up.  
  
Peter noticed that his veins seemed to be bulging out of his neck, his skin becoming a strange purple color from the combination of the green effects of the drug and the red from his struggle to breathe properly. “That’s the only thing you’re good at – killing people and destroying their loved ones’ lives.”  
  
Tony shook his head. “Norman, what happened all those years ago…”  
  
“She is dead because of you!” Norman shouted, throwing a pumpkin bomb at Tony, who blasted it with his own repulser beams, neutralizing it. “You murdered her for your own gain!”  
  
Tony looked at Norman with pity. “Norman, you’re delusional. You know I would never have hurt Emily.”  
  
“Emily?” Peter butt in, the name’s familiarity swimming in his mind. _That’s the name of Norman’s dead wife, right?_   He thought. He glanced between the two men, both ready to pounce at any minute. “You killed his wife?”  
  
Norman whipped his head around to look at Peter, his toothy grin harsh and terrifying. “Ah, the truth comes out doesn’t it. What do you think of your hero now, Mr. Parker?”  
  
Peter shook his head. He couldn’t believe it; he wouldn’t believe it. Tony wouldn’t kill an innocent woman. _The Tony now wouldn’t,_ he thought suddenly, _but the Tony before might have._  
  
Tony glanced at Peter. “Peter, you need to go, now, I’ll handle this. You’re way out of your league on this.”  
  
Peter felt his irritation and anger rise up. “No! I’m not going! I’m the one who’s been dragged into this feud of yours because you won’t tell me the truth!”  
  
“That’s what Tony does, he likes to keep his cards close to his chest, keep everyone else blind to his moves so he can strike when he’s ready,”  
  
“Okay, World of Warcraft, I’m going to need you to shut up for a minute,” Tony said, “Peter, go, now. I’m not going to tell you again.”  
  
“Let the boy stay, Tony. I like seeing you in this turmoil, it’s… refreshing,” he started laughing again, his now signature, high-pitched laugh. “I have spent years trying to find a way to hurt you the way you hurt me,” Norman continued. “Everything seemed pointless, insignificant, until this boy came along.” He pointed at Peter. “I see it in your face, Tony, how much you care for this boy. He’s like a son to you, isn’t he?”  
  
Peter looked back at Tony, who didn’t answer. His eyes flitted over toward Peter and then back to Norman. He took a step closer to Norman. “The kid is just a recruit Norman, nothing more. You know me, I don’t have real feelings.”  
  
“Ah, and you’re getting harder at hiding those feelings! My, what did that little stint in the Middle East do to you Stark? You’ve gone soft.”  
  
Peter noticed Norman glancing just beyond Tony, as if he expected to see something or someone come from behind him. It made Peter tense up, waiting for a surprise attack. Norman was trying to bait Tony with conversation, but why? He had no glider, so all he had was his brute strength, and between Peter and Tony in the Iron Man suit, by Peter’s math, Norman didn’t stand a chance.  
  
“I wanted to get to Spiderman at first to hurt you Tony. But I had no idea that he would be so helpful to me…. But you knew, didn’t you?”  
  
Tony narrowed his eyes. “Okay, Norman, I know you mean to beat around the bush, but let’s cut to the chase.”  
  
“You knew that my serum ran through Peter’s veins,” Norman said. “That’s why you didn’t want him snooping around. You didn’t want him to find out what makes him unique, what makes him stronger than you.”  
  
Peter’s angry eyes flitted back to Tony. “No, that I did know actually.”

Tony groaned. “Look, kid, like I told you before, I was trying to protect you. Obviously, I was wrong about that and I’m sorry, but look at where we are now.”

“Why do you keep lying to me?” Peter said balling his fists up in anger. “If you had told me the truth, maybe I wouldn’t have went looking!”   
  
“Yes, we can dance around all the possibilities and outcomes, but right now, kid, we have to take care of Norman the Lord of the Rings reject.”  
  
Peter could sense the small missile before it even entered into the hole of the building that Tony had made. Peter’s eyes widened and he leapt toward Tony, pushing him away from its destructive path. Tony let out a cry of surprise as Peter’s body impacted him, and then seconds later, the loud whistling sound of the missile shrieked out as it flew through the hole and exploded right where Tony had stood. Peter scrambled back up, slipping his mask on, and Tony’s suit helmet came up over his face. Following the missile was another prototype of Norman’s glider. It made its way over to Norman, who jumped on it deftly.  
  
“So sorry about that Tony. Trying to kill you and all, but you did destroy my other one.” He cackled. “Catch me if you can!”  
  
Peter looked back at Tony, who shot a repulser beam at him, but missed. “Sorry Norman, can’t let you get away this time,” Tony said, his thrusters coming on and lifting him off the ground. He flew straight for Norman and the two engaged in battle, dodging each other’s blasts. Peter watched from below, trying to think about his next move. He needed to find a way to neutralize Norman.  
  
He swung up to the rafters of the building and then came swinging down at Norman who was about to throw another pumpkin bomb at Tony. Peter went flying feet first, and slammed into Norman’s side, catching him off guard and knocking the bomb out of his hand. It fell to the ground and exploded. Peter caught himself with a web and came flying back at Norman the other direction, but Norman was ready this time and made a grab at Peter, halting his attack by grabbing his leg. “All right now, Mr. Parker, I think we’re done playing games, aren’t we?” he mocked, as he tossed Peter toward one of the cement pillars. Peter reacted quickly, releasing a series of webs to create a barrier to keep him from falling into the pillar. He flipped up and perched on top of one of the ceiling beams.  
  
“I thought you liked these games? Getting tired of it already?” Peter retorted, coming at Norman once more.  
  
“Peter, watch out!” Tony shouted, as Peter was about to attack once more. Tony intercepted and Peter could see a jolt of electricity run through Tony’s suit, the mechanics letting off little sparks and smoke.  
  
“No!” Peter shouted, halting his attack and staring in horror as Norman lifted Tony’s motionless suit up and tossing it to the ground. Peter quickly shot out a web net to catch Tony’s fall, and when he looked up, he saw that Norman’s gloves were sparking. “Electroshock gloves?!” he exclaimed in surprise.  
  
“Come on now, Mr. Parker, aren’t you going to avenge your mentor?” Norman taunted, a gleam of devilry in his eyes. He slipped his mask on swung his glider around. “Come catch me, Spiderman!” He started speeding toward the hole in the store, and Peter had to make a quick decision. He spun out a web that attached itself to the glider, and Peter held on for dear life as he went speeding out of the store behind Norman’s glider.  
  
Norman sped on, raising his altitude inch by inch. Peter glanced down at the disappearing ground. “Well, it’s not as bad as that plane ride,” he reasoned, his heartbeat quickening at the sight of the height. “Karen, we gotta find a way to stop this thing.”  
  
“If you can take out one of his thrusters, you have a chance to disabling him,” Karen replied.  
  
“Okay, but then what am I up against when we’re both back on the ground? His gloves are charged with electric. One touch and he’ll fry me!”  
  
“Just like a bug!” Norman shouted, turning his head to see Peter flailing behind him, holding onto the web for support. Norman pulled a small blade from his utility belt and reached down, slashing at the web.  
  
“Whoa!” Peter exclaimed, quickly releasing another web, which latched onto the other side of the glider. He could hear Norman cry out in frustration and turned to cut that web too. “I can do this all day!” Peter shouted, as he released yet another web.  
  
Norman grinned and then reached down and touched the web with his glove, which shot a jolt of electricity from it. Peter’s eyes widened and he released the web, shooting a web grenade right at one of the thrusters. It exploded inside, creating a small explosion that threw Norman off the glider.  
  
Peter caught the side of a building and watched as Norman went tumbling down, landing on the roof of a 30-foot apartment building next to the building Peter had landed on. Peter scurried up the side of the building and then ran and jumped from his roof top to the roof top of the apartment building.  
  
Norman, coughing, stood slowly, stretching out his aching body. “Well, well, impressive Spiderman,” he said, covering his mouth to cough again. The cough worsened and Norman doubled over.  
  
Peter looked at him with concern. “Mr. Osborn, you need to see a doctor. That oz, it’s not meant to stay in your blood stream for long periods of time.”  
  
Norman pulled his mask off as he gasped for breath. Peter saw a drop of blood fall from the mask. He started walking toward Norman, dropping his defenses.  
“Yet, it’s been in your blood stream for over two years. Why? Why does it work on you?” Norman looked up at him, wiping the blood from his lips.  
  
“I don’t know, Mr. Osborn, but trust me, it’s not worth killing yourself over.” He reached out to lay a supportive hand on Mr. Osborn’s shoulder, and as he did so, Norman reached up and released a jolt of electricity from his glove. Peter felt the shock race through his body, his muscles feeling a sudden warm, cramping sensation. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground.  
  
“Apparently Tony didn’t teach you about letting go of your sentiments, Mr. Parker,” Norman said, straightening up over top of Peter.  Peter rolled over onto his back, breathing heavily, clutching his chest, which felt on fire.  
  
“Your heart rate has been accelerated to impossible levels Peter,” Karen informed him.  
  
“No kidding,” Peter gasped, trying to take deep breaths. He suddenly felt Norman’s boot connect with his side and Peter doubled over in pain.  
  
“You don’t deserve these powers!” Norman shouted, kicking Peter once more. Norman reached down and grabbed Peter by the front of his suit, picking him up off the ground with ease. “You want to give it all to Tony Stark and let him have all of the glory!” He hurled Peter against one of the rooftop air conditioning units and Peter crashed into it, the metal folding under the impact. Peter struggled to get to his feet and Norman flew at him once more, ready to pummel him. Peter, groaning, released a web that caught one of Norman’s gloved hands, and he used it to launch himself up and around, landing behind Norman. He kicked Norman from behind, and he stumbled forward. They then began hand-to-hand combat, each one lashing out with a series of blows, some connecting, others not. Peter ducked and flipped, trying his hardest to not damage Norman too badly, but Norman was relentless, like a madman. He kept coming at Peter, no matter how bloodied he had gotten.  
  
After one of his punches connected with Peter’s nose, Peter stumbled back and spit out a mouthful of blood. “Okay, Mr. Osborn, this has gotta stop. I want to help you. For Harry.”  
  
“For Harry,” Norman spat. “That boy doesn’t care if I live or die.”  
  
“He does, you have to believe me. Deep down, he does. He thinks you don’t care about him,” Peter pleaded, trying to catch Norman with his webs. Norman was still too quick though. “Whatever happened between you and Tony, let it go, and we can help you.”  
  
“You really believe that? After everything? You are as naïve as Tony thinks,” Norman laughed bitterly. “No Mr. Parker, I don’t think Tony Stark means to help me at all.” He made a grab at Peter, and Peter caught him, and the two wrestled, closing in on the edge of the roof. As Peter dodged one of Normans’ hits, he dropped down and connected the heel of his foot with Norman’s stomach. It sent Norman tumbling back, and Peter watched in horror as he struggled to get his balance and teetered on the edge.  
  
“Mr. Osborn!” He exclaimed and just as Norman fell over the edge, Peter lashed out a web. The force of Norman’s fall pulled Peter toward the edge and he caught himself just before he could go over the edge.  
  
Peter looked down and saw Norman dangling there, the web wrapped around his hand, 25 feet of air between him and the ground. “I’m going to pull you up!” Peter shouted, as he started to pull the web toward him.  
  
Norman started to cough uncontrollably, blood sputtering out of his mouth in bubbles. “I think it’s a little too late for that now, Mr. Parker,” he called up to him.  
  
Peter’s eyes widened. “No, Mr. Osborn. We will get you help, I promise!” He shouted. “I’ll get you up here quick.” He started to speed up.  
  
“This is the way it’s supposed to be, Peter,” Norman shouted. “I see it now. The end. I see her coming toward me.”  
  
Peter paused, a fear creeping into him. “Mr. Osborn, Harry needs you.”  
  
“Harry hasn’t needed me for a long time. And I don’t think I was ever meant to be a father. Not without her.” He gave Peter a long, meaningful look. “You’ll understand one day, Peter. Take care of him for me, will you?” Before Peter could reply, Norman pulled the knife from his belt and sliced Peter’s web and fell toward the ground quicker than Peter could release another web. Peter felt tears spring to his eyes as he heard a deafening crunch as Norman’s body hit the street below.


	23. Tony's Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, kind of a long chapter guys :) Lots of Tony and Peter bonding though :)

Peter wasn’t sure how many minutes passed by before Tony showed up. As the darkness of the night started to envelop him, he sat there on the rooftop, cross legged, his head lowered, tears falling silently. He wondered what he was going to tell Harry; he wondered how he should tell Harry. He knew what it was like to be orphaned, but being the one who caused it? It made him feel reprehensible.   
  
“Hey Kid, Kid, are you okay!?” Tony had landed in the Iron Man suit, and stepped out of it, coming over to Peter in his signature sports coat, slacks and rock t-shirt outfit. He pulled his cell phone out and called 911, then crouched down to Peter’s level. “It’s going to be okay, Peter, the police are coming, and I’ll take care of all of this, but you have to leave.”   
  
Tony reached for Peter’s shoulder, and Peter suddenly looked up into his face, which was covered in cuts and bruises from the fight. His eyes were wide and filled with tears. He jumped up and wrapped his arms around Tony, who stumbled a bit, shocked by Peter’s sudden show of affection. Peter sobbed quietly into Tony’s chest. Tony sighed, and rested his hand on the back of Peter’s head. “I know kid, I know. It’s okay.” They stayed like that for a second, before Peter pulled away and wiped the tears from his eyes.  
“What am I going to tell Harry?” He asked.   
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that. I think it’s time the young Mr. Osborn and I finally met anyway.” He perked up when he heard the police sirens. “Get out of here Peter. Enough people know about your secret, I don’t want to add the cops to that list.”   
  
Peter nodded and swung off, barely glancing back at Tony who had turned his attention back over the side of the building.   
  
Peter blindly swung his way through the city, his mind numb, his body on auto pilot. He never failed to save someone before. He remembered when the jet pack on Liz’s dad had exploded. Peter was able to pull him from the wreckage. So why couldn’t he save Norman Osborn? All he had to do was pull him up. But Norman didn’t want it. Norman didn’t want to be saved. It weighed heavy on Peter’s heart.  
  
He felt a sense of relief wash over him as his apartment building came into view. He hoped that since Tony had come that meant that he had gotten May and Ned to safety, and he wondered if Michelle and Harry were also safe.  
  
He landed on top of the apartment, and crawled down the side of building, stopping at his bedroom window. He pushed it open and crawled inside, pulling his mask off as soon as his feet hit the floor. As he took a few steps into his room, he heard the rumbling of feet coming down the hall, and his bedroom door flew open.   
  
Michelle stood there, her eyes wide with relief and exasperation. “Peter, you’re back!” she exclaimed breathlessly. Her brief happiness was overcome with worry as she saw the state Peter was in. He took a step toward her before collapsing to his knees on the floor. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Are you okay? What happened? Did Tony find you?” She pulled away to look at him more closely. “Peter, what did he do to you?”   
  
“What, this isn’t my best look?” Peter joked weakly, giving her a half smile. She rolled her eyes. “I might need a shower.”   
  
“Yeah, I’ll say.”   
  
Another set of footsteps came down the hall, and his Aunt May was standing there looking forlorn. “Peter, oh my God, you’re okay.” She rushed toward them, and Michelle stepped out of the way so Peter and his Aunt could embrace. “Oh, I’m so sorry sweetie. This is my fault. If I had known, I never would have let that man into my life.”   
  
“It’s okay, May, really, it’s not your fault, it’s mine,” Peter said quietly. He pulled out of her embrace and stepped away from both women. “I need to clean up, if that’s okay.” He could feel the tears start to come once again, and he turned away, embarrassed to be seen crying.   
  
“Okay, well I made some tea and a really poor attempt at brownies. Harry is in the living room too, dear. He is waiting to hear about his father.”   
  
Peter bit his lip. “Yeah, I know.” He turned away quickly and rushed out of his room before they could question him. He slipped into the bathroom and stood still in front of the mirror, staring at the state of his face. His lip was split open with dried blood on it, his right cheek was swollen and turning purple. He could also feel a bruise coming right above his left eye. He sighed and took off his suit, leaving it in a pile on the floor.   
  
After his shower, Peter slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt that hung off him. He dreaded walking into the living room, but knew he had no choice. He stepped out of his room and walked down the short hallway toward the room. Michelle was sitting, legs drawn under her chin, on the small arm chair, and Harry was sitting on the sofa, hunched over, staring at the blank television screen. Aunt May was not in the room, so Peter guessed she was in the kitchen. As he entered, he realized that Ned wasn’t there.   
  
“Ned didn’t come back?” Peter asked, startling his two friends. Michelle looked up at him with a sad smile, while Harry jumped up and stared at him with a look of surprise.   
  
“He felt it was better not to be here,” Aunt May said as she came into the room.   
  
Peter looked over at her and saw she held a cup of tea in her hand. She walked it over to him, and he took it graciously. “I kind of figured,” he said sadly. He wondered if he was witnessing the end of his longest friendship firsthand. He felt an ache in his heart.   
  
“Peter, how… um, how did it go?” Harry asked timidly, running a hand through his blond hair, damp from the sweat of the events from earlier.   
  
Peter took a sip of his tea and looked down. “Uh, Harry, I, uh,”   
  
“Did you take my dad to the police? Did Tony?”   
  
“I…” Peter set the tea down and walked hesitantly over to Harry. “Harry, I tried, I really did. But he took my choice away, and… I’m sorry Harry, I really am, he’s gone.”   
  
Harry instinctively pulled away from Peter, his face going pale. “What do you mean gone?”   
  
“I mean, he’s… dead, Harry, I’m sorry,” Peter apologized once more.   
  
Harry shook his head. “NO, no, he can’t be dead. You weren’t supposed to kill him, you were just supposed to stop him!”   
  
“I didn’t kill him, Harry, I tried to save him, but, he didn’t want to be saved, I’m so sorry.”   
  
Harry grabbed one of the pillows off the couch and shouting, threw it at Peter. He caught it and squeezed it between his hands. “I helped save you! Ned didn’t even do that, and you couldn’t save my father!?”   
  
“I wanted to Harry, I had him by the web, I was pulling him up, but he cut the web and fell faster than I could catch him. I tried I really did.”   
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and May rushed over to it. She looked through the peephole and quickly opened the door. Tony strolled in, looking exhausted.   
  
“Well, the police and Damage Control have everything taken care of, so I had Happy bring me here. How’s everything going?”   
  
And then Harry snapped.   
  
“YOU!” He shouted, making a run for Tony. Tony held up him hands in defense as Harry came at him, but Peter had grabbed Harry’s shirt, holding him back. “This is YOUR fault! If you hadn’t ruined my dad’s life, he wouldn’t have done all of this! He wouldn’t have killed himself!!”  
  
Tony removed his light-colored sunglasses and stuffed them into the pocket of his blazer. “Okay, well I should have figured that was the reaction I’d get. Harry, right?”  
  
“Screw you,” Harry spat.   
  
Tony winced. “Yikes, is that anyway to talk to your elders? Although I wouldn’t admit I was your elder… Okay, look, Harry, I think we need to sit down and have a little chat.” He moved around them and sat down on the sofa, patting the space next to him. “Come on.”   
  
“I don’t want to TALK to you! You are just going to try and twist everything and trick me!”   
  
“Actually, I’d like to hear what Tony has to say too,” Peter jumped in quickly, eyeing Tony carefully. Tony attempted to avoid his gaze.   
  
Harry hesitated once more before begrudgingly making his way to the sofa.   
  
“Wonderful,” Tony said. “Look, Harry, all of this is very complicated, as I have tried to explain to Peter, but I will try to explain everything that I can since none of you are content with the idea that adults know best.”   
  
“Yeah, no, I’m not. My dad’s dead because of his decisions,” Harry retorted.  
  
Tony nodded. “True, good point. But let’s not… okay, so, Harry, did you know that your father and I were close friends when he was starting to build his company?”  
  
Harry shook his head. Peter silently walked over to the oversized arm chair cattycorner from the sofa and sat down.   
  
“We were. My parents had just died, and your father, a man who understood what it was like to have a father who wasn’t around much, who was cold and critical. You never met your grandfather did you?” Harry shook his head. “He was one hell of a guy, drank like a fish. Loved to tell Norman how much of a failure he was… Hmm, guess our families have a long history of terrible father figures…. Anyway, we hung out often, and one would say I was a terrible influence on your father, getting him drunk on a regular basis, introducing him to some of the hottest women,” May cleared her throat and gave him a warning look, “right, sorry, anyway. We had a lot of fun. But then he met your mom and she straightened him out fast.”   
  
Harry seemed to perk up at the mention of his mother. “You knew my mom?”   
  
“Yes, I knew your mother. She was the best thing to happen to Norman. Settled him down, kept him out of trouble. And she actually liked me. Thought that I would grow up one day… I’m still out to prove her wrong.” He chuckled. “When I didn’t take my weekend trips to Sao Paolo or Italy, we would all hang out, her constantly with her head in her notebook, drawing while Norman and I got drunk and hypothesized,” he winked at Peter, “best part about being friends with nerds sometimes, solving world problems, one shot of whiskey at a time. Eventually, we all graduated, I started my time at Stark Industries, and Norman decided to branch out and make a name for himself. He and Emily married, she helped him start Oscorp, and we lost touch. It was always Then they got married, and I decided to back off for a while. It was always going to happen, him becoming a family man and all, and me figuring out which Maxim model I was going to date next.” He glanced at May again, who gave him a disapproving look. “Yeah, I know, I was not the best role model in my youth. I promise, I’m much better now.”   
  
“I’m not too sure about that,” Aunt May say testily.   
  
“Right, so, where were we? Yes, your birth, Harry. I remember when Norman told me he and Emily were going to be parents, he actually asked me to be your godfather.”   
  
“Wait, what?” Harry interrupted. “You’re my godfather?”   
  
“Well, in theory. I couldn’t make the ceremony, so your dad kind of just announced it and that was that. Honestly, I don’t even think he took that away after we had our falling out.” Tony paused to ponder that for a second. “Nope, I guess, not, no, I am probably still your godfather, hmm. Well, I would have been a terrible one anyway.” He glanced over at Peter, who felt a burn in his cheeks. He quickly looked away from Tony, a weird sense of embarrassment coming over him. “Then a few years later, Norman came to me, upset. Said that Emily was diagnosed with a rare neural cancer. He knew that Stark Industries medical division was working on some experimental treatments for different types of brain cancers and asked me to help Emily.”  
  
“My mom had brain cancer?” Harry asked. Tony raised an eyebrow and leaned back a bit. “Yeah, dad was never much of a talker about mom. He said she died, and that was it.”   
  
“Wait, I thought,” Peter recalled the revelation earlier in the evening. “Norman said you killed her.”  
  
“Grieving people say a lot of things that aren’t true,” Tony retorted, his eyes trained on Harry, waiting for him to overreact to Peter’s comment. Harry remained still. “So, I helped them. Norman was one of my best friends, and Emily was an amazing woman. I didn’t want to see her taken away.” Tony paused, taking a deep breath. “However, the treatments were just that… experimental. We tried almost everything, except one treatment. Norman insisted we try it, but it was barely out of computer testing, let along any type of biogenetic testing. I was too afraid, and that’s saying something because I’m willing to try anything. So Norman stole it.”  
  
“Stole it?” Harry asked. “How could he steal a treatment?”   
  
“Easy, removable storage devices, CD-Roms back then. Came in downloaded all of the data, and then used his own labs to try and recreate it. Security wasn’t as tight as it is today… Happy wasn’t in charge,” Tony smiled ruefully. “Your mother died a week later.”   
  
The room was silent. Peter finally understood. Tony hadn’t killed Norman’s wife. But in Norman’s eyes, because the treatment didn’t work, he might as well have. Peter suddenly felt guilty for even believing Norman’s lie for a second.   
  
“Dad killed her?” Harry said in a soft voice.  
  
“No, Harry, he did everything he could to save her, including stealing company secrets from Stark Industries. The cancer killed her in the end. Your father though… he was convinced it was all a set up. He thought I created a treatment that would kill her. My lawyers wanted to sue him, but I managed to subdue their lawsuit lusts because I knew how devastated your father was. I tried to make him see reason, I told him the treatment wasn’t ready, but he didn’t want to listen. He just wanted your mother to get better.” Tony wrung his hands. “We do really crazy things when the ones we love are in danger.”   
  
The room was silent. It seemed that everyone was contemplating Tony’s revelation, stunned by Norman’s actions and the lies and truths that seemed to have flowed together to create a story that brewed contempt and estrangement.   
  
“Well, that’s probably a lot to take in, huh?” Tony finally said, fixating on Harry. “I don’t expect you to warm up to me right away, but I promise you, Harry, I will help you.”   
  
Harry didn’t look at him. He kept his eyes focused on his hands and just shrugged. “This is so typical of my dad, you know? Twisting things, lying to make himself look better, to manipulate people. He was never a good father, I mean he would rather die than try to take care of me.”   
  
Tony rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder and looked up. “Hey, I’ve been there. My father wasn’t the best either, remote, focused on his work, and critical of everything I did. Norman loved you, in his own way. But, I think his grief was too much, and you reminded him too much of Emily. You do look like her in many ways. For someone, like your father, who etched that pain deep into his heart, it was something he couldn’t shake.”   
  
“You were on his mind,” Peter said suddenly, and they all turned. “Right before he cut my web, he told me to look after you, to help you.”   
  
Harry blinked back a few tears. “He did?” Peter nodded. Harry fell silent once more.   
  
Tony took a deep breath. “Harry, you have a choice now,” he started, “Now that your father is dead, Oscorp becomes your company.”  
  
“I don’t want it,” Harry said immediately. “I never wanted anything to do with my dad’s company. When my mom died, that’s all he cared about. That was more his son than I was. I want to be as far away from it as possible.”   
  
Tony grinned. “Yeah, I kind of had a feeling you’d say that. But see, here’s the thing, you have a chance now, Harry, a chance to do something right. I know, I’ve been there. Changed my dad’s whole company around when I realized what we were doing, who our weapons were really going to. You can do the same thing. There’s tons of Oz still out there and you even have the help your friendly neighborhood Spiderman to get it all back.”   
  
Harry looked over at Peter who gave him a half-hearted wave. “Yeah, but I’m 16, what can I do with that company?”   
  
Tony nodded. “You’re right. You’re young, you’re still a kid by all rights,” he gave Peter a sidelong glance, “A kid whose been asked to grow up too soon. I’ve been there. Remember? Graduated from MIT at 17? Parents dead at 21? I’m the poster child for this kind of stuff. That’s why you’ll have help.”   
  
“You’re going to help me?” Harry said skeptically.  
  
“I’m going to ignore that skepticism, but no, actually, the head of Stark Industries will… Pepper Potts. No one has a head better for business than she does, and she is much easier on the eyes.” He smirked. “She can help you make it a better company.”  
  
“You sure this isn’t you trying to take over my dad’s company?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
“I thought you didn’t care about the company’s future anyway,” Tony retorted. “But no, this is just me doing the right thing. I couldn’t be there for your father, so I can at least try to be there for you.”   
  
Harry picked at his finger nails. “Peter trusts you,” he said finally, looking up at Peter. “So I should trust you. You at least haven’t tried to kill me or blackmail me.”   
  
“Yet,” Tony replied sardonically. “Just kidding. Okay, so Harry, you’re going to have to go to the police station now, because they will need you to identify your dad’s body and his lawyer will be waiting. Don’t worry, mine is too along with Pepper. Happy will take you there.”   
  
He stood up, which prompted Harry and Peter to stand as well. “Harry, I’m sorry about everything,” Peter said walking up to him.   
  
Harry wrapped his arms around Peter’s shoulders. “It’s okay. I’m just glad… I’m glad me and Michelle got to you in time.”   
  
Peter patted his back. “Yeah, me too.” Harry pulled away then and turned toward Tony.  
  
“You don’t have to hug me,” Tony said.  
  
“I know we aren’t there yet,” Harry replied. He held his hand out, and Tony shook it. “Thank you, Mr. Stark for your help.”   
  
“Of course, Mr. Osborn, any time.” Harry gave him a curt nod and walked out of the apartment building. Peter noticed something had changed in him in that moment; the angry boy was gone, but Peter wasn’t sure yet what he was replaced with.   
  
Once Harry was gone, Tony turned toward Aunt May and Michelle. “So, do you two mind if me and the kid have a moment alone?”   
  
Peter winced, dreading the conversation they were about to have. Last time he went against Tony’s orders, he lost his suit. He could only imagine what was going to happen this time now that someone was dead.   
  
Aunt May paused for a second, as if she was going to deny Tony his request, but then decided against it. “MJ, why don’t we go to my room and get changed?” she suggested, grabbing the younger girl’s hand.   
  
Michelle took a step toward Peter and gave his hand a squeeze. “It’s going to be okay,” she said, and somehow, with her saying it, Peter actually believed it. He gave her a reassuring smile and then she followed his aunt into the kitchen.   
  
And then Peter and Tony were alone. The man and the boy stood facing each other, a dense fog of unsaid words hanging between them. Usually Tony was so quick to speak, but he seemed to be thinking through exactly what he wanted to say to Peter. Peter wanted to start in on Tony; he wanted to yell at him for keeping him in the dark about his powers, about his relationship with Norman Osborn, and for treating him like a child, again. But all of that seemed to be weakened by a stronger feeling – jealousy. He realized as Tony and Harry discussed everything how much more they had in common than Tony and Peter did. He saw how Tony could relate to his new friend, from their dark pasts with their fathers to their wealth. He couldn’t help but feel envy that Tony would help Harry with his company, thus leaving less time for him to help Peter become a better superhero. Peter didn’t want to feel jealousy, he wanted to be happy for Harry – Harry who had been dealt a bad hand in life – but all he could feel was the rage and fury building up and ready to burst.   
  
And then Tony spoke. “Peter, you’re not going to hear me say this very often, but I was wrong. Time and again you have proven to me that you are more than capable in handling these missions yourself, and time and again, I have tried to thwart you, putting you in precarious situations that could have been avoided if I was just honest with you from the beginning.”   
  
Peter felt the rage start to subside. “Like knowing where my powers came from?”   
  
Tony sighed and walked toward Peter, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Yes, especially when you started to show interest in Norman Osborn. I should have told you then. I should have also told you about our relationship to one another. It may have helped you tread more carefully.”   
  
“I don’t know about that,” Peter countered.  
  
Tony smirked. “At least I should have been helping you instead of telling you to not go looking where danger is. I have been distracted Peter, there’s something strange going on, and with all the Avengers scattered, I feel… a bit strained.” He squeezed Peter’s shoulder. “If you want to go over everything I know about the spider serum, I’d be happy to.”   
  
Peter looked up at Tony with a look of surprise. “Uh, yeah, I really would. I think it might help me understand my powers better.” He crossed the room and sat down on the couch. “You’re still pretty pissed at me about not listening to you though, aren’t you?”  
  
“On a scale of one to ten, I’m at about a five,” Tony replied, sitting down next to him.  
  
“Yeah, but you’re not the one in the streets dealing with that stuff! You didn’t see the destruction it was doing to the neighborhood! And it’s because of you that Harry even got involved. When Norman found out I was “interning” for you, he bribed Harry to spy on me and try to get information out of me about you. So, it wasn’t all me, you know. Norman found out because of Harry.”   
  
“How did Harry find out  
  
Peter’s head dropped. “Ned told him.”   
  
“Ned… your best friend Ned? Your ride or die guy? The Lando to your Han? Ha, didn’t know I knew that reference did you?”   
  
Peter didn’t laugh although a part of him wanted to. “Yeah, that Ned. He’s just been so… angry at me for dating Michelle, I guess he has been feeling left out, and Harry took advantage of that…”   
  
“And he let the cat out of the bag so he could feel special. Sorry, kid, that has got to hurt. But, very much like Lando.”   
  
Peter nodded. “Yeah, except Lando redeems himself in the end; I don’t even think Ned is going to try.”   
  
“Okay, my scale is down to a two now,” Tony said. “Peter, this isn’t going to get any easier, no matter how much training you get, no matter how many missions you do. It never gets easier or cleaner. It just gets messier and harder. Like a Jackson Pollock painting.”  
  
“Yeah, and not all the bad guys end up in jail,” Peter languished, his mind flashing the image of Norman falling to his death.  
  
“There was nothing you could have done about Norman. He made that choice. But you’re right, not all of them do, and not everyone makes it out alive.” He cleared his throat. “You’re only sixteen, Peter. Just like Harry, you’re dealing with stuff that no teenager should be dealing with, but here we are. You’re forced to grow up in some respects, and I have been trying to save your childhood. I want to protect you Peter.”   
  
Peter turned his face away. “I’m not Harry, I don’t need protecting. I can take care of myself.”   
  
Tony shook his head. “I never said you were Harry. Peter, are you, jealous of Harry?”   
  
“You mean the billionaire’s kid who you’re just going to spend all your time with now because he’s just like you? No, not jealous of him at all,” Peter cringed inside when it came out because he sounded like a child.   
  
“Oh Jesus,” Tony said under his breath. “Peter, for all of Norman’s faults and misconceptions, there was one he was way on base with. When your aunt told me what happened, I was terrified. Yeah partly because of the guilt that I think I’ll always have when it comes to you, but also because you mean a lot to me, kid. And when people like Norman Osborn know that, you become a target, and for that I’m sorry.”   
  
Peter looked into his mentor’s eyes and there was no hint of sarcasm in them, just honesty. “I don’t need a father,” He said quickly, his face going flush pink.   
  
“No, no, of course you don’t. You had one, and a great uncle from what your aunt has told me. And I never wanted a child, yet here we are. A fatherless boy and a childless man who need each other.” He squeezed Peter’s shoulder and Peter looked down at his hands, picking at the skin around his fingernails. “But if Piper and I ever had kids, I’d hope they turn out just like you.”   
  
An uncomfortable chuckle escaped Peter’s lips. “Thanks, Tony, that means a lot, it really does.”   
  
“Yeah, this doesn’t mean we get matching father/son outfits now or anything,” Tony replied, and they both laughed.  
  
They were silent for a minute, both contemplating this new revelation in their relationship. Then Peter said, “So, what’s next?”  
  
Tony patted his knee. “Well, we have to help Harry.”   
  
“We?”  
  
“You think I was kidding about you helping him find the rest Oz? Plus, he needs a friend like you to keep him grounded. You like the guy, right?”  
  
“Well, that was in question when he ratted me out to his dad, but he’s a good guy,” Peter replied. “I guess he will need me, huh?”   
  
Tony nodded. “Just like the city needs you, and your Aunt May, and that cute little girlfriend of yours… and Ned.”   
  
“Yeah, if Ned even talks to me anymore.”   
  
“Kid, if there’s one thing I’ve learned through all this, it’s the ones who’ve been with you from the beginning that will stick with you through all the bad times. Don’t give up on him.”   
  
With that, Tony stood up and stretched. “Okay, I’m going to go clean the rest of this mess up, and you need to rest. And maybe get some ice for that nose, ouch,” he gestured to Peter’s bruised nose bridge.   
  
Peter jumped up and wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist, pressing his head into his chest. Tony froze for half a second, caught unaware. Then he relaxed and placed one hand on the back of Peter’s head and the other on his back. “It’s going to be okay, kid.”   
  
Tony then left, and as the door shut, Peter could sense Michelle’s presence behind him. “How much of that did you hear?” Peter asked without turning around.  
  
“Enough,” she said simply, walking toward him.   
  
Peter turned around and met her half way. “Where’s Aunt May?”   
  
“She kind of passed out on her bed while we were waiting for you two to finish. I was feeling a little weird, so I crept out here to spy on you, and then I felt even more awkward because you two were having a moment.”   
  
“What!? We weren’t having a _moment_ , we were just talking,” Peter said flippantly.  
  
Michelle raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, okay, if that’s what you want to call it.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward his bedroom. Once they were inside, Peter shut the door behind them, and when he turned around, Michelle was laying on his bed. “You wanna talk about it?” she asked him, as he walked over to her.  
  
“I don’t know. I feel kind of talked out right now,” Peter sighed. Michelle slipped under his arm and rested her head on his chest.   
  
“I know,” she said quietly, lightly gliding her finger up and down Peter’s other arm. “So, what are we going to do in school tomorrow if we see Ned?”   
  
Peter had thought about that and didn’t want to think about it anymore. He hurt so much when Ned’s betrayal was revealed, but then when he realized he didn’t even want to try to make up for it, Peter just felt completely and utterly done. Even if Tony had told him not to give up on Ned, he felt as if he was halfway there.   
  
“I’m still not sure, but honestly, that’s the last thing I want to think about right now.” He reached for Michelle’s face and tilted it up toward his, and all of his thoughts, all of his worries dissolved as her lips pressed against his. 


	24. Three Months Later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter up! Setting up the denouement, if you will, for the story. Just one chapter left after this! Caution, there's a bit of kinkiness in the next two chapters since Peter and MJ were pushed to the side for the Goblin showdown. And I've been wanting some, so there's that. Enjoy! Thank you for all of the kudos and comments also!

Three months later –   
  
“Happy birthday, Peter,” Michelle whispered as she slipped her hand below the covers toward his boxer shorts.   
  
Peter woke with a start, his eyes darting toward the lower half of his body. He looked over at Michelle who was grinning at him, her head propped up with her other arm. They were laying in his bed, after spending the night together. Peter went to sit up and winced as the bruise on his side ached from the movement. Michelle paused, looking concerned. “Nope, I’m good, it’s just a bruise,” he said quickly.   
  
“You sure? You kind of looked like shit when you came back from patrol last night,” she said, her hand moving back up his body and over to the bruise. Her eyes landed on some of the cuts and scrapes on his face as well.  
  
“Hey, I thought you said this made me look more rugged!?” he exclaimed. She rolled her eyes and kissed his lips softly, parting them with her tongue. “So, is this what seventeen is supposed to be?” he asked between kisses.  
  
She climbed on top of him and pulled her head wrap off, letting her curls free. She grinded against his cock, the friction causing him to grow. “Mmm, I think so, I wouldn’t know I still have a month to go.”   
  
Peter slipped his hands under her sleep shirt and gripped the soft skin on her back, aching all over from his bruises and from the increasing pleasure coursing throughout his body. She moaned as his finger nails dug into her skin, and she pressed her body harder against his. “How much time do we have?” He murmured, now moving his hands to the waist of her sleep shorts.   
  
“I don’t think we have a ton of time, because of Harry’s big press conference before school,” she replied, pulling his boxers down. “But enough for a little bit of fun.” She started moving down his body slowly, planting light kisses along the center of his chest, down to his stomach. When she reached his groin, she took him into her mouth.   
  
Peter watched her, his breathing getting heavier and faster as she rolled her tongue around the tip before swallowing him once more. Her right hand held the base of his cock, rubbing it slowly and deliberately. Peter reach down and grabbed at her curls, pulling them to pull her further down him. “MJ,” he moaned through his haggard breathing. He could feel himself tensing up as the warmth and wetness of her mouth overtook him. She looked up at him with a smirk in her eyes as she trailed her tongue up the length of his shaft. She then went back down on him, taking all of him into her mouth, her hands grabbing hold of his hips.   
  
Peter placed his hands on top of hers, holding them fast, gasping as he prepared to climax.  
  
“Peter, call from Tony Stark.” Karen’s voice rang out in his room, making Peter nearly jump out of bed.   
  
Michelle fell off of him, rolling onto her back. She started laughing.   
  
Peter looked down at his dick, which was slowly going flaccid. “Well, shit,” he muttered. “Uh, Karen, no can you just ignore the call, I mean,”   
  
“Happy Birthday Mr. Parker!” The virtual image of Tony popped up from Peter’s communicator. Peter quickly grabbed the blanket and threw it over the lower half of his body.  
  
“Uh, hey, wow, uh, thanks Tony, I uh really appreciate that…”   
  
“I remember when I was seventeen, it was such a great time in my life. I felt so young and full of vigor. I was at the peak of my performance, although with all the training I’ve been doing since I became Iron Man, I feel almost like I did in my younger years, almost,”   
  
“Yeah, uh, that’s great Tony, but um,”   
  
“So, got any big plans today? Besides Harry’s press conference. I can’t be there, but Pepper will be; it’ll be great. You know, maybe I should come by later, I do have a present to give you, an upgrade if you will,”   
  
“Tony, that’s nice, but… wait, an upgrade?” Peter’s ears perked up. He heard Michelle groan. “Wha… what kind of an upgrade?”   
  
“You’ll have to wait and see. So, do you have plans to see that feisty girlfriend of yours, what’s her name again? Megan? Miranda? Morgan,”  
  
“Michelle!” she exclaimed sitting up so he could see her.  
  
Tony paused, his eyes focusing on the scene before him. “Oh hello, Michelle,” He narrowed his eyes and a sly grin emerged on his face. “I interrupted something didn’t I?”  
  
“Yeah, kinda, but it’s okay Tony,” Peter said quickly, and Michelle shot him an astonished look.   
  
“Yeah, no, I don’t think she agrees with that. I cannot believe it, I cock blocked you, I am so sorry, Peter. Look at me, I should be ashamed of myself. But on another note, you two are being safe right? Using protection, all of that?”   
  
Peter reddened. “Uh, yeah,”   
  
“Wow, I really do sound like a dad now. Okay, I’m going to leave you two to go at it, and I’ll see you later.”   
  
The communicator shut off. “So, where were we?” Peter said weakly, giving Michelle an apologetic smile.   
  
She rolled her eyes. “Nope, too late now, I don’t think I have it in me because I can’t seem to get Tony Stark’s look out of my head.” She climbed over Peter and got out of bed, throwing on her clothes. “I’m going to go to my house, change, and I’ll meet you at Harry’s office, okay?”   
  
Peter frowned, jumping out of bed. “You’re not mad, are you?”   
  
“No, not mad, we’ll just have to pick up where we left off later,” she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
“When’s that going to be?” Peter asked, his eyes going big like a begging puppy.  
  
“That is up to me, as it is my birthday present to you, well one of them. The other is sitting there on your desk.” She pointed to a small box wrapped in green and white striped wrapping paper.   
  
“Oh wow! What is it?” he ran over and grabbed the present, ripping the wrapping paper with ease. He opened the box and pulled out a book. He read the title, “Being a Hero Inside and Out,” He looked up at her with a questioning look.   
  
“It’s a self-help book, of sorts,” she explained, “figured you’d might need something like that from time to time, you know so you don’t get such a big head.” She gave him a sardonic smile.  
  
“Uh… thanks? I guess?” he looked down at the book and opened it up. As he did, something fell out. It was a small silver chain with a silver ring. The ring band turned into two hands holding a heart at the end with a crown on top. “Is this like the one ring?” he asked, jokingly, holding it up.  
  
“Uh no, it’s like a Claddagh ring or something you know it represents love, loyalty, that sort of thing… I saw it on Buffy the Vampire Slayer when I was binging it on Netflix. I thought you could, you know, keep it with you when you’re off fighting crime, so you can, you know,”   
  
Peter cut her off with a kiss. “That’s awesome, MJ, thank you.”   
  
She smiled. “Yeah, I know, it’s kind of dorky also, not really my style, but I don’t know, you kinda do that to me.”   
  
Peter grinned. “My dorkiness is rubbing off on you?”   
  
“Yeah, something like that,” she gave him another kiss. “Okay, I’m leaving, I love you.”   
  
“Love you too.”   
  
Once Michelle left, Peter hurried into the bathroom to shower and then ran back into his room to change. He grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that read “Forget Lab Safety I Want Super Powers” and then looked over at his Spider-Man suit, which was hanging over the back of his chair. As he started to contemplate wearing his suit under his outfit, Karen’s voice rang out again.  
  
“Peter, 911 call came in about a minute ago about a break-in at First National Bank.”   
  
Peter smiled and grabbed his suit. “Thanks Karen, looks like I know what I’ll be wearing right now.”  
  


* * *

  
Forty-five minutes later, Peter came swinging toward Oscorp tower. “Okay, Karen, time check?”  
  
“7:35 AM,” she said, “You’re five minutes late to the press conference.”  
  
“Man, Harry and MJ are going to be so pissed off at me.” He didn’t intend for the taking down of the robbers to take so long, but one of them was using an old weapon of Liz’s dad that created sonic waves, which made it hard for Peter to get close to him. His head still felt a little wobbly after being hit with it once. He landed in the back alley to the building and quickly changed out of his Spider-Man suit and into the outfit that he had packed in his backpack. Once he stuffed the suit back into his backpack, he ran around the building to the front and had made it past the front double glass doors when a security guard stopped him.  
  
“What do you think you’re doing kid?” the burly man with a slick bald head asked, stepping in Peter’s way. Peter stopped short.   
  
“I, um, yeah, I’m Peter, Peter Parker, Harry’s friend from school? I’m sorry, I’m a little late, but I’m supposed to be here,”   
  
“There you are!” MJ came stomping toward him, dressed in t-shirt that read “Phenomenal Woman” and a pair of skinny jeans with sneakers. She grabbed his hand and gave the two security guards withering glances. “Obviously, you two don’t know how to do your job,” she chided, pulling Peter along.   
  
Peter looked at her with wide eyes. “Wow, MJ, you are bold.”   
  
“And you are late, what happened?” she pulled him into the main foyer of the building where journalists and other VIPs were huddled together listening to Pepper give a speech about changing times and forging of new relationships.   
  
“Got caught up with a… bank robbery,” he said lowering his voice so no one else could hear him.  
  
“Well, you haven’t missed Harry yet. But he’s a nervous wreck. Look at him up there, sweating bullets.”   
  
Peter looked up at the stage and saw Harry sitting behind Pepper, constantly running a hand through his slicked back blond hair. He was wearing a suit, which surprisingly didn’t make him look older, but made him look like a little boy trying to wear his father’s suit. His eyes were panning the crowd, and when they fell on Peter, he seemed to relax a little. Peter gave him an encouraging wave. “Yeah, I would not want to be up there giving a speech either.”   
  
“Well if Tony Stark ever decides to name you his heir, you better be ready for it,” she replied, nudging him with her shoulder.  
  
Peter looked over at her incredulously. “He wouldn’t do that,” he said.  
  
She shrugged. “What else is he going to do with it when he and Pepper are gone?”   
  
Clapping started commencing at that point, signaling that Pepper was finished with her speech. She stepped away from the microphone and turned to Harry, gesturing for him to come up.  Harry stood up and smoothed out his suit.  
  
Peter gave him two thumbs up and pulled his phone out to film the speech, and Harry took a deep breath, nodding to Pepper as he took center stage.   
  
“Good morning everyone. I’m sorry we had to hold this press conference so early, but I do have school today at 8:05.” A low chuckle rumbled throughout the room. “So, here it goes. It has been three months since my father’s untimely death. In those three months, I have worked to rectify the wrongs he has committed under Oscorp. I know our investors are worried that I am a child, that I have no business running a company, that I will ruin its name just like my father. But I am here to say that I am not like my father. I want to make this company the best it can be, and I am grateful for Stark Industries mentorship during this time. I am also grateful for New York City’s own Spider-Man, who has worked to help bring to justice all the criminals that my father worked with and help remove the drug, Oz, from the city.” He glanced at Peter, who hunched over, hoping no one would see the pleased look on his face. “I am happy to be here at Oscorp for its grand re-opening under my leadership. We are going to move forward in a positive light and use our talented minds to make this world a better place. Now, we will be having coffee and light refreshments and you can mingle and meet with some of our most prominent scientists and learn about all of the new projects that we are going to be working on in the next few years. Thank you for your time.”   
  
The journalists all erupted in shouts, throwing questions left and right at Harry, who hurried down the steps of the makeshift stage several guards in black suits following him. Michelle grabbed Peter’s hand and pulled him over to the side, pushing through the journalists who all stopped and gave them dirty looks as they nudged them away. They were halted by two men in suits. “Oh no, we’re with Harry,” Peter said quickly.   
  
“Sorry kid, no one goes past this point,” one of them said in a gruff voice.  
  
“Hey Martin, it’s cool, those are my friends,” Harry interrupted, pushing Martin aside. “Happy birthday man!” He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Peter. Then he whispered, “You’re late.”  
   
Peter laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, you know, keep hitting that snooze button on the alarm clock.” Harry pulled back and gave him a knowing look and then looked over his shoulder at Michelle. She just rolled her eyes. “You did good, Harry,” Peter said, clapping his back. “I love how you threw Spider-Man some credit in there.”   
  
Harry grinned. “Well, I don’t know where I’d be without him,” he replied, without a hit of sarcasm. “You throw that bad boy up on Instagram already?”   
  
“Yeah, and my Snapchat story,” Peter replied.  
  
“Awesome,” they high-fived. Then Harry asked. “So, what did MJ get you for your birthday?” he said, winking.  
  
“Hey, I’m right here!” Michelle cried out, glaring at him.  
  
“Sorry!” Harry replied, then in a lower voice said, “You can tell me later.”   
  
“Y..yeah, okay,” Peter laughed. “So, you ready to go to school?”   
  
Harry nodded. “Come on, the guys will give us a ride so we won’t be late.”   
  
“Oh good, at least I’ll be on time for something then,” Peter replied.   
  
“What a concept,” Michelle quipped, lacing her fingers into his.   
  
As they drove to school, Harry and Michelle started quizzing Peter on his birthday party that he was going to have that evening at his house. He hadn’t wanted one, but Aunt May insisted he have one with his friends after everything that had happened. Since it was kind of his fault that she almost got killed, Peter wasn’t in a habit of saying no to his Aunt the last few months.   
“So, is Ned coming?” Michelle asked, as they cozied up in the back seat of the Town Car that Harry’s security drove.   
  
“I didn’t invite him?” Peter said unsure.   
  
“You invited all of the Academic Decathlon nerds,” Harry pointed out. Michelle gave him a withering look. “Oh, come on, you know I don’t include you in that list,” Harry replied.   
  
“Yeah, well Ned isn’t part of the Academic Decathlon anymore,” Peter replied, looking down at his and Michelle’s hands. He liked the way their fingers created an alternating color pattern, it was relaxing to focus on sometimes.   
  
“Yeah, he quit, pretty much right after the whole betraying Peter’s secret thing happened,” Michelle explained, looking over at Peter with a worried expression.   
  
After Norman’s death, Peter didn’t want to talk to Ned. He was angry with him for betraying his secret, and even angrier that he wasn’t there after all was said and done. And Ned made no moves to try to talk to Peter either, quitting Decathlon and moving his seat in all of the classes that they had together. Michelle told Peter to talk to Ned, and he tried, but Ned would mumble something about needing to be somewhere and leave before Peter had a chance to say anything.   
  
Peter was okay with it, he told himself. He had Michelle, and now he had Harry. If Ned didn’t want to be his friend anymore, that was okay, he told himself. He was too busy for a lot of friends anyway, he told himself. Yet, after five months, he still felt the sting of loss, the pang of an important relationship gone too soon.   
  
“Peter, you should have still invited him,” she said quietly.   
  
“Uh, sure, if I could get him to talk to me for five seconds, maybe I would have,” Peter responded, irritated.   
  
“You want me to invite him?” Harry asked.  
  
Michelle and Peter exchanged nervous glances, which Harry caught. “Yeah, you’re right, he probably hates me because, you know…” he trailed off. They all got silent as the memory of that fateful day flooded their minds.   
  
“It’s okay, guys, really. It’s just a stupid party,” Peter said. “I don’t even want one anyway.”   
  
“Oh, come on, it’s going to be fun,” Harry replied, trying to give Peter his best excited smile. Peter raised an eyebrow, and Harry sighed. “Okay, I tried.”   
  
Michelle rolled her eyes. “What, would you two rather just have the three of us go out to dinner or something?”   
  
Peter and Harry looked at each other and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds a thousand times better than having a bunch of people at my house I don’t really talk to. I also don’t need them snooping around my stuff either.”   
  
“Well, I’m sure they won’t stay long,” Michelle sighed.   
  
The car stopped at that moment, and the guard told them they arrived at the school. The three of them climbed out of the Town Car. “I should have changed,” Harry realized, looking down at the suit he was still wearing.   
  
“Yeah, you look like you’re about to do our taxes,” Peter laughed. Harry shot him a warning look. “Right, sorry!” He held his hands up in surrender.   
  
When they got inside the school, Peter parted ways so he could put his Spider-Man suit away. Harry began walking toward his own locker when Michelle stopped him. “What are you doing,” he asked plainly.   
  
“Come on, we got a mission,” she replied.   
  
“A mission? I don’t like the sound of that,” Harry said warily, but he followed Michelle nonetheless.   
  
They walked down the hall toward the English wing. “There he is,” Michelle muttered under her breath.   
  
Harry followed her glance and saw Ned at his locker, grabbing what he needed for the day. “MJ, uh-uh, no way.”   
  
“What? Peter’s not going to do it, so we have to.”   
  
“Really? You think that’s a good idea?”  
  
“Hey, look, you did what you did because you were under duress, right?” Harry nodded. “And Peter forgave you, right?” he nodded again. “Then that means that Ned will too, and he needs to know Peter has forgiven him.”   
  
“He has?”   
  
“Yes, Harry, of course he has, he just won’t say it because he thinks Ned doesn’t want to talk to him anymore.”   
  
“Is this what Peter finds so attractive in you? Because you butt into all of his business?” Harry said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
“I’m going to pretend that was a compliment,” she said, grabbing him and pulling him over to Ned.   
  
They walked right up to him, cornering him to keep him from escaping. Ned whirled around, his chubby cheeks getting flushed from the sudden onslaught. “H..h..hi guys, uh, I can’t, uh, really talk right now, because, uh… science class,” he said weakly.  
  
“Ned, we’re in the same homeroom, you can’t lie to me,” Michelle replied. “Look, Harry and I are here because we want you to know that you’re invited to Peter’s party tonight.”   
  
Ned’s face whitened. “Peter’s party? You mean for his birthday? I… I … I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I think I have something to do, I just got the new First Order Destroyer Lego set so I was gonna….”  
  
“Ned, look, you can’t hide from Peter forever,” Harry cut in. “What happened all those months ago, it sucked, and I know I was to blame for a lot of it. And I can’t apologize enough to you for tricking you like that. But you’re Peter’s best friend, he needs you.”  
  
“Aren’t you Peter’s best friend now?” Ned asked, a tinge of jealousy in his voice.   
  
“We are all Peter’s best friends!” Michelle cut in. “Ugh, it doesn’t matter who’s what to Peter. What matters is you matter to Peter, and he cares about you a lot. You’ve been friends since you were five years old. You just don’t throw something like that away.”  
  
“Well, if Peter felt that way, why didn’t he invite me?”   
  
“Because you don’t give him a chance to talk to you! And he’s being as much of a baby about this as you are. So, look, we are inviting you. Dinner is around 7, Aunt May’s place. Please come.”   
  
Ned looked at both of them with a scared look. “I, uh, I’ll try. I mean, I can’t make any promises.”  
  
“Ned,” she sighed, turning to look at Harry. “Okay, well, that’s all we can do. Let’s go Harry.” She turned and pulled Harry away.   
  
“Uh, nice suit!” Ned called out weakly as they marched away.   
  


* * *

  
  
Peter covered his phone with his hand as he watched the latest Spider-Man video he posted on YouTube last night. It wasn’t his best video work, and he took a little bit of a beating, but the hits on the video were climbing past 100,000. He glanced up at his English teacher to make sure she wasn’t watching him, but she was engrossed in an argument between Flash and Michelle over the book they were reading, Beloved. He slipped his attention back to his phone, changing videos to watch one from a few weeks before.   
  
Ever since the incident with Norman Osborn, everything had changed. Ned stopped talking to him, Harry suddenly became one of his best friends, and Tony was being even more attentive than before. He asked Peter to come up to the Avengers compound once a week to train with him and the rest of the Avengers who weren’t in hiding. He enjoyed being there, especially spending more time with Tony, who even let him play around in the lab there as long as they got to talk about college. And the more Tony talked about MIT, the more Peter wanted to go there. And then there was Michelle. Peter never had a girlfriend before, yet so much of being with her felt familiar that falling in love with her felt so easy.   
  
He looked back up and saw her glancing in his direction, her fight with Flash coming to an end. Peter gave her a small smile and she smirked and gave him the middle finger, which between them had become a sign of affection that only the two of them would understand. Peter must have looked less than thrilled because Michelle’s smirk faded, and her eyes grew concerned. ‘What’s wrong?’ she mouthed. He just shrugged and went back to looking at his phone.   
  
Suddenly a text popped up. _Hey, don’t just shrug at me. What’s up?_  
  
 _I don’t know, I’m just feeling weird today._   
  
_Is it because it’s your birthday and you miss Ned?_  
  
 _I don’t miss Ned! Geez, MJ you make me feel like a character in a Jane Austen novel._  
  
 _I’m impressed you know anything about her novels._   
  
_Hahaha very funny_  
  
 _It’s okay to miss your best friend, Peter. Or are you upset you’re 17?_  
  
 _No, I’m good with 17. I think Tony will think I’m more grown up now, maybe I can go on Avenger missions._  
  
 _Yeah so you can give your aunt a heartache :P You should just talk to Ned though if you’re that upset about him not being there tonight._  
  
 _I’m not upset about it!_  
  
 _Okay, okay, I’ll stop bugging you then._  
  
Peter looked up and saw Michelle put her phone away and turn her attention back onto their teacher. He groaned and shoved his phone into his pocket, feeling like a complete asshole for pushing her away.   
  
After school, he met Michelle and Harry by his locker. Harry had changed by then, asking one of his security guards to bring him new clothes, and was in a much more comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt.   
  
“Hey, I forgot to give you your birthday present!” Harry exclaimed, pulling a small box out of his back pack.  
  
“Oh, wow, Harry, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Peter said, although the way he opened the box, so enthusiastically, made it seem otherwise.   
  
Peter pulled out a key. “What’s this?”   
  
Harry grinned. “It’s a key to a new Audi A3,” he replied.   
  
Peter’s eyes widened. “Say what now?”   
  
“You bought Peter a car?” Michelle blurted out.   
  
“Yeah, he doesn’t have one, and this way he can take it upstate to Tony’s compound when he needs to,” Harry looked at both of them. “Is this not something you wanted? I thought you got your license last year…”   
  
“Oh no, I did Harry, thank you. It’s just a crazy awesome gift,” Peter said quickly.   
  
“And all I got you was something sentimental,” Michelle muttered. Peter pulled the chain out from under his shirt, and Michelle’s face reddened.  
  
“And you know I love it,” he replied, tucking it back in. “Thank you, Harry, that really means a lot. It really does… I just don’t know where I’ll park it?”   
  
“Easy, I bought one of the spaces in the parking garage up from your apartment. The sensor is already on the car.”  
  
“Where is this car?” Peter asked, although he had a feeling he already knew the answer.  
  
“Outside, duh, I thought you’d give us a ride in it.”   
  
Peter’s smile widened. “Uh, yes I will! Come on!” He grabbed Michelle’s hand and pulled her with them as they went racing out to the front of the school.   
  
The car was exactly as Peter had imagined it; silver and sleek with all of the accoutrements like heated seats, a sun roof, Bluetooth, and even automatic driving. Peter slipped inside and felt the black leather steering wheel. He patted the passenger seat and looked at Michelle out of the window. “Hey there, sweetheart, need a ride?” he said in his best sleazy accent.  
  
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “You make it sound sooo appealing,” she joked, as she opened the door and sat down next to him. Harry got into the backseat and stretched out.  
“Can you drop me off at Oscorp quickly?” Harry asked. “I have a meeting at 4:30 and then I will come right over to your place.”   
  
Peter nodded and started the car. He could feel the pangs of misery start to fade away as Michelle turned on the radio and picked an obnoxious rap song for them to dance to in the car. He pulled away from the curb, not even realizing that Ned was standing on the steps of the school, watching them leave.


	25. All Things Settle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter guys! Thank you for sharing this story with me :) I have an idea for a sequel, so stay tuned!
> 
> Thank you for all of your comments and kudos! They give me life... like Tinkerbell! :)

After Peter dropped off Harry, he drove himself and Michelle back to his apartment. After struggling to get his car into a parking spot in the parking garage across the street, Peter and Michelle headed toward his apartment. For his birthday, he decided that he wasn’t going to go on any patrols that evening; he was going to spend time with Michelle, and Harry, and Aunt May, and the other ten people his Aunt invited. Right before they were about the leave the parking garage, Michelle grabbed Peter’s hand and pulled him back.

  
“Is your Aunt home?” she asked him, suddenly, a twinkle in her eye.   
  
“Uh, no, I think she doesn’t get off work until five,” Peter said, looking at her weirdly. “Why, what’s up?”   
  
Michelle squeezed his hand. “Come on, we have some unfinished business, Peter Parker.” She pulled him toward the apartment, and Peter could feel butterflies in his stomach.   
  
As soon as Peter let them into the apartment and the door was closed, Michelle came at him, pulling him by the neck of his t-shirt and pressing her lips against his. Peter grabbed her hips and lifted her off the ground, wrapping her legs around his waist. He could have taken her to his room, but he was too excited, and no one was home. He carried her over to the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen and pressed her up against it, his hand sliding under her shirt and bra. He roughly squeezed her breast, rubbing it against his palm. A moan escaped her lips and she grabbed hold of the wire shelf next to them to keep herself up.   
  
Peter could already feel himself growing larger and he pressed himself harder against her, the slight friction causing him to swell. He remembered their morning tryst that had been interrupted, the feel of her mouth on his cock, the way her fingers dug into his skin, and he immediately moved his hands toward her jeans and started working at the buttons. He pulled them off quickly and slipped two fingers between her underwear and pressed them against her center, moving them in a circular motion. Michelle grabbed his face and slipped her tongue into his mouth, trying to cover her moans as he went to work.   
  
“Peter, it’s your birthday,” she murmured between breaths. He could feel her getting wet to his touch and he slipped a finger inside of her.   
  
“I like watching you get off,” he whispered, and he felt her shudder from his words. Between Michelle’s coaching and tons of practice, and his increased stamina from his Spidey powers, Peter was slowly becoming an expert at making her wet, and he would have been lying if he said it didn’t making him a bit conceited.   
  
Michelle gasped and pulled away from his lips, throwing her head back against the wall and biting her lip. He felt her leg muscles tense hard against him, and her body start to shudder uncontrollably as he continued to play with her, getting her to climax. She let a cry escape her lips as she came and he could feel his one finger getting sticky.   
  
He pulled his hand out of her underwear and pushed her legs off of him, turning her around and against the wall, pulled his own jeans down, letting his erection free. He pulled a condom out of his backpack and slipped it on, and then she bent forward a bit and he entered her from behind, his hands grabbing her waist. He could feel himself throbbing inside of her as he thrusted, getting light-headed from his arousal. She looked back at him and smiled, which was it for him. He pulled her upper body up against him, making her arch her back to keep him inside her, and he pressed his mouth against the nape of her neck as he came.   
  
“Well, no interruptions this time,” Michelle said through heavy breaths.   
  
“Yeah, no, it’s all good. But, we should probably get cleaned up before May gets home,” Peter said, slowly pulling out of her. “Glad she wasn’t home though, I would have hated to do that in an alleyway.”   
  
Michelle furrowed her eyebrows together. “What makes you think I would have done that in an alleyway?”   
  
Peter’s face went scarlet. “Oh, um, I don’t think, I mean…”   
  
“Is that like a fantasy of yours? Are you in your Spider-Man outfit when we’re doing that?”   
  
“What! N…n…no,” he said laughing awkwardly.   
  
She shook her head. “Maybe next year Peter.” She picked up his boxers and placed them between her legs. “I’ll be right back,” she said, waddling to the bathroom.   
  
Peter headed into his room, and put on a new pair of underwear and then sat down at his computer to turn on Karen. “Hey, Karen,” he greeted his AI.   
  
“Good afternoon Peter. How was school today?”   
  
“Eh, it was okay. Anything big happening?”   
  
“I thought you told me not to tell you about anything today because it’s your birthday?”   
  
“Oh, yeah, um, sorry, you know, bad habit. I guess I’ll let you go back to AI land then.”   
  
“All right. Happy Birthday Peter.”   
  
“So, are you ready for this party tonight?”   
  
He looked up and saw Michelle standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame nonchalantly.   
  
He gave her a nervous grin. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” 

* * *

  
  
Seven o’clock approached quickly, and Peter, Michelle and Harry were helping Aunt May finish getting food on the table and setting up a few extra folding chairs for people to sit on in the living room. Peter and Michelle kept exchanging glances and smiles as they passed one another, the secret of what they had done earlier in that exact room.   
  
Harry came up behind Peter, leaned over his shoulder and whispered, “What is up with you two?” which made Peter jump. Harry chuckled. “I thought you had these crazy senses that alerted you when danger was near.”   
  
“I guess my senses don’t think you’re dangerous,” Peter laughed, turning around. “And to your other question, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”   
  
Harry glanced over at Michelle, who was bent over, unfolding a chair. “Oh, come on, the two of you have been making ‘sex’ eyes at each other all night while we’ve been setting up.”   
  
Peter’s face reddened. “We have not…I mean… Okay, fine,” he sighed. “We kind of had some alone time before you guys came over, here, in this room.”   
  
Harry grinned widely. “You did not! Wait, where? Please don’t tell me the couch, I already sat on it,” he made a face.  
  
“What?! No, not the couch, jeez, come on man,” Peter could feel his cheeks getting redder.  
  
“Then where?” Peter pointed to the wall separating the kitchen and living room. “Really? You must really be that strong to be able to do it like that.”   
  
“Well, what can I say, I am Spider-Man,” Peter said with a small laugh.  
  
Just then, the doorbell rang, diverting everyone’s attention. “Oh, your friends are here!” Aunt May exclaimed excitedly, running out from the kitchen. “Okay, I promise, I’m going to be the cool aunt tonight, okay? I won’t embarrass you.”   
  
Peter laughed. “Yeah, I’m not really worried about that Aunt May.” She grinned and flipped her long brunette hair to one side.   
  
When Aunt May opened the door, Cindy and Betty walked in, followed by the rest of the members of the Academic Decathlon – Abe, Charles, Sally, and Flash. Peter felt a sudden rush of embarrassment when Flash walked in as he knew the boy was instantly sizing up Peter’s decidedly much smaller living quarters than his mansion of a house.   
  
“Hey guys,” Peter said awkwardly, giving them a half-hearted wave, and each one of them came up to give him their own greeting.  
  
“Hey Peter!” Abe said, coming over and giving him a high-five. Charles followed suite, and Sally just nodded in his general direction – she was always the quietest one in the group.  
  
Cindy and Betty walked up to him then, arm-in-arm, as if Cindy needed Betty to support her and keep her standing. “Happy birthday, Peter,” Cindy said quietly. “Thanks for inviting us.”   
  
“Yeah, sure any time, I’m glad you guys came,” He replied, looking over their shoulder at Michelle who was talking with Aunt May. Cindy must have realized she wasn’t watching either because she quickly stood on her tiptoes and kissed Peter’s cheek.   
  
“Come on Betty, let’s go get something to drink,” she said, giving Peter a sly grin. Peter stared after them, slightly shocked by Cindy’s boldness.  
  
“Hey Parker, nice place you got here!” Flash called out coming over to him.   
  
Oh great, Peter sighed. “Hi Flash, didn’t think you’d actually show up.”   
  
“What? Couldn’t miss my buddy Peter’s birthday, could I?” Flash said laying his arm around Peter’s shoulders. “And I definitely didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see that super-hot Aunt of yours,” he muttered in Peter’s ear, a smug smirk on his face. Peter rolled his eyes. “So, I have always wanted to see how the less fortunate live, and I must say, it’s not so bad,” He clapped Peter’s shoulder and walked away toward Michelle and Aunt May.  
  
“Less fortunate, what a jerk,” Peter muttered, shaking his shoulder off as if removing any asshole germs that Flash put there.  
  
“Uh-oh, how’d that go?” Harry asked, coming up to Peter.  
  
“Oh, you know it was great! Flash and I had a great conversation where he was nice and friendly, and didn’t say a negative thing about me,” Peter replied sarcastically. Harry laughed. “I’m glad you and MJ are here, though, makes this night more bearable.”   
  
“Aww, I feel really special now,” Harry said in a mock appreciative tone.   
  
“Okay, everyone! Please help yourself to some food, and we will do the cake in a little bit!” May suddenly called out, turning her Spotify on from the TV.   
  
They all started gathering food, making conversation with one another. Peter listened but stayed a little bit apart from the rest of them. He listened to Abe and Charles go on about a band they wanted to form, and overheard bits and pieces of a conversation between Cindy and Betty, in which his name came up several times in ways that made his cheeks red. He took a bite of a chip off his plate.   
  
“How ya doing, there Tiger?” Michelle asked, walking up to him in a languid way with a smile playing on her lips. He couldn’t help but smile back.   
  
“Just listening to everyone, taking it all in,” he replied. He noticed her eyes darting to the door. “Are you waiting for someone else to come?” he asked her, looking at her suspiciously.  
  
“Who, me? Nope, I’m not looking for anyone,” she replied, her eyes darting away from the door. Aunt May announced that they were going to do the cake, and everyone started buzzing, getting up and moving toward the kitchen where she had a cake waiting with seventeen candles on it. Peter watched Michelle closely once more, and saw her eyes fixated on the door.   
  
_Who is she waiting for?_ He thought. _Tony? He said he may come, but I doubt he’d show up. Too busy,_ he reasoned with himself.   
  
Harry grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed to toward the cake. “Come on man, I have been dying for a taste of this all day!” he exclaimed.   
  
Peter shook his head. “All right, I’m here.”   
  
They sang “Happy Birthday” to him, all gathered around the kitchen table. Peter felt a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach as everyone sang, and also felt a little bit of nostalgia for days when things were so simple as singing to celebrate someone’s birthday. Days before arch enemies and death and betrayal. Days before superpowers, and billionaire tech father figures. He wondered if anything would be as simple as that ever again.   
  
As soon Peter blew out the candles, everyone clapped, but a louder clap seemed to drown out the rest. Peter looked up and saw Tony standing in the entryway to the kitchen, with his usual confident and lazy smile. Peter’s eyes widened as well as his smile. The rest of the eyes in the kitchen turned toward Tony, and Peter was pretty sure he heard Flash let out a squeal of surprise.   
  
“Hey kid, looks like I made it just in time,” Tony said, taking a step toward him.   
  
Peter pushed past Michelle and Harry and ran into Tony’s body, wrapping his arms around him for a hug. Tony returned it, patting the back of his head. “I didn’t think you’d make it,” Peter said, pulling back.  
  
“Oh, come on now, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Just wait till you turn 21, that’s when I’ll really celebrate with you.”  
  
“Tony…” Aunt May said warningly. He gave her an apologetic smile.   
  
“Hey look, all your friends are here. Hi, Peter’s friends. I’m Tony Stark, if none of you didn’t know that already,” Tony walked up to them, shaking all of their hands, smiling brightly into their shocked faces.   
  
Michelle and Harry stood back with Peter watching their friends marvel at Peter’s high-powered friend. “Well, this has earned you legit bragging rights for a while,” Harry commented as Tony got to Flash.  
  
“Mr. Stark, it is such an honor,” Flash gushed. “I am such a huge fan of your work.”   
  
“And you are…”   
  
“Flash, Flash Thompson, sir,” Flash answered. "My dad actually works for the law firm that represents, your company, and..."  
  
Tony’s eyes widened. “Flash Thompson, huh? Aren’t you the one who always makes fun of Peter?”   
  
Peter tried to conceal a smile as Flash’s jaw dropped. “I, uh, what, I, n…n…no,” Flash stuttered.  
  
Tony raised an eyebrow. “Right, well, I’m not one to threaten or intimidate a teenager, but, you know what I do for a living right?” Flash nodded, a scared look in his eye. Tony patted his shoulder. “Good, so let’s just try not to be an asshole okay? I know it’s hard, I have struggled with it myself.” He gave Flash one more, brief nod, before walking back over to Peter. “So,” Tony started, “when do the rest of these kids leave so I can show you my present?” he whispered.   
  
A giddy feeling came over Peter as he thought about the possible new suit he was getting. “Um, I guess soon, it is a school night.”   
  
Tony nodded. “Right, well I’ll go mix and mingle with your aunt for a little bit, don’t want to be that creepy old dude talking to teenagers.”   
  
Suddenly, there was a faint knock at the door, which alerted everyone’s attention. Peter didn’t know why, but his eyes went directly to Michelle, who looked satisfied. “Oh, were we expecting someone else?” Aunt May said, looking surprised.   
  
“I don’t know,” Peter said, “I invited everyone who’s here…”   
  
Aunt May went to the door and opened it. “Oh! Oh, um,” she paused for a second and then slowly opened the door. “Peter, look, Ned’s here.”   
  
Peter stared, speechless, at Ned standing there in the doorway. He gave him an awkward wave. Peter looked back at Michelle, who gave him a reassuring look, and Peter realized why she had kept looking at the door all evening.   
  
“Hey, well, this looks like an episode of Degrassi right now, so maybe we all need to clear the area so these two can talk,” Tony said finally, breaking the tension.   
  
“Yes, it is 9 o’clock, I think you all should be getting home anyway,” Aunt May said, rushing toward the kids and gesturing for them to leave.   
  
“Wait, I’m not leaving,” Michelle said, grabbing Harry’s hand and pulling him around the other way toward Peter’s bedroom.   
  
“Where are we going?” Harry whispered.   
  
“We are giving Peter and Ned their space.”   
  
“I’m coming too,” Tony piped up, following the two teenagers.   
  
Ned walked slowly into the house, looking down at his feet. “Uh, happy birthday,” he said quietly.   
  
Peter walked toward him, hands over his chest in a defensive manner. “Yeah, uh, thanks, man, I appreciate it.”   
  
“Sorry, I’m, uh, late, MJ said seven, but my mom had me do some chores, and wouldn’t let me leave until I got some of my homework, uh, I’m sorry.”  
  
Peter scratched the back of his head. “It’s okay, I wasn’t really expecting…”  
  
“Yeah, no, I know,” Ned replied. “Do you want me to leave… or….”  
  
Peter didn’t want him to leave. He had been waiting for three months to finally talk to Ned and there he was in front of him. “No, you don’t have to leave, you can stay.”   
  
“Really?” Ned looked at Peter surprised.   
  
“Yeah, really,” Peter replied.   
  
They both looked down at the floor, both unsure of how to proceed. “Look, Ned, about the whole Norman Osborn thing…”  
  
“I’m sorry, Peter!” Ned blurted out. “I was an idiot, like a grade-A asshole. I shouldn’t have told Harry anything, I’m so sorry.”   
  
“It’s okay, Ned. I mean, it all worked out… in the end…” Peter trailed off. “I’m not gonna lie, I was really upset. I mean, you promised you wouldn’t tell anyone, and….”  
  
“I know, and I betrayed you, I am worse than Brutus, worse than Lando!”   
  
Peter smirked, thinking of Tony making the same analogy. “But at least you’re not Wormtail from Harry Potter,” he replied.   
  
He thought he heard someone mutter exasperatedly, “Oh my God, you are such nerds!” But ignored it.   
  
“Ned, I don’t want us to stop being friends,” Peter said. “But, you can’t get mad at me because I’m Spider-Man or with MJ, okay? Those things, they aren’t going to change.”   
  
Ned nodded. “I know, but can you blame me, Peter? You do kind of have everything.”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes. “Not everything, Ned. And being Spider-Man isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.” He got quiet, thinking about Norman’s fall. “I just want everything to be normal again if that’s possible.”   
  
Ned smirked. “Peter, you swing from webs and you’re,” he lowered his voice, “doing it with a girl… I don’t think anything is ever going to be normal again.”   
  
They both smiled at each other an understanding passing between them at that moment. Everything was going to be okay between them… eventually. Peter held his fist out and Ned responded, and they performed their signature handshake.   
  
“So, does that mean you guys have made up?” MJ called out, looking around the corner of the hallway leading to the bedrooms.   
  
“Yeah, I think so,” Peter said.   
  
“Oh, thank goodness,” Michelle said with a sigh of relief, motioning for everyone else to follow her. “Peter has been moping around the past three months since you guys broke up.”   
  
“I have not been moping around!” Peter exclaimed.  
  
“We didn’t break up!” Ned cried out, his face reddening.   
  
“Kind of felt like you did,” Harry retorted. He walked over to Ned and held out his hand. “We good?”  
  
Ned hesitated then shook his hand. “If Peter trusts you, I trust you,” he said.   
  
“Isn’t this just so wonderful!?” Tony broke in, making his way over to Peter. “I gotta tell you, you kids inspire me, you know that? Makes me almost want to get in contact with Cap… almost.” He put his hands on both Peter and Ned’s shoulders. “So, now that other kids are gone… want to take a look at your birthday present?” 

 

* * *

  
  
Harry left Peter’s party a little bit before ten. He needed to stop at his old house before heading back to his home, a loft that he had purchased after Norman died. He couldn’t stay in their house, not after everything that had happened. It was all a reminder of his father’s pain, his father’s descent into insanity. However, some things were still left there as they went through the process of cleaning it out to sell. Every time Harry had to go in there, he felt a cold chill down his spine, the stinging ghost of a slap across the face. Tony and Peter had told him his father had cared for him, in his own way, but when Harry stood in that house, he didn’t feel anything but fear and hate. That was how he knew it was time to leave.   
  
“Just wait here, I’ll be only a few seconds,” He told his driver, who nodded, put the car in park and turned on the four-ways.

  
Harry jogged up the steps of his abandoned home. The way the moon hit from behind shadowed the front, giving it an eerie look. Harry paused at the top step, wondering if he should just forget going in. All of his things were long gone, but he had left much of his father’s belongings in the house. That included his notes and files that he kept in his study. When he met with the research group that afternoon on the spider serum, they said there were parts of the research his father must have kept at home. So, that’s where he went.   
  
Harry didn’t tell Peter that he decided to re-open the spider serum experiments. He knew his friend had enough on his plate, and he didn’t want Peter getting suspicious. _Not that there’s any reason he needs to,_ Harry thought. _I’m not going to try to use it like my dad._ But, he wanted to understand it, maybe use it for good.   
  
He slipped inside the house and switched on the hall light. The faint golden glow lit up the mahogany walls. He wandered to the door of his father’s study and pushed it open.   
It was completely dark, save for a sliver of moonlight that slipped through the cracks in the heavy curtains. Harry walked over to the desk and turned on the tall lamp that stood beside it. He then began rummaging through the desk drawers, thumbing through file folders.   
  
“Where is it, where is it?” he murmured, pulling out folders and looking through their contents. He flipped through letters and memos on board meetings and legal proceedings, mostly boring things that he felt he should grab at some point and give to his lawyer.   
  
He then noticed a manila folder labeled “Stark/Oscorp”. He paused over it, remembering that Peter had told him how Tony had helped initially in the creation of the spider serum. He opened the file, and saw bio-schematics for spiders, some formula papers, and sketches and calculations. As he looked at it, he couldn’t help but notice a file sticking out with a strange word on the tab.  
  
“Ag-ah-mot-to,” he tried to pronounce, pulling the file out from under the spider serum one. He opened it up and saw a picture of what looked like a green stone enveloped in a gold casing that looked like an eye. He saw notes that mentioned time travel, and New York, and something called the Sanctum Santorum. All of it made no sense to Harry. He then saw a scribbled note on the inside of the folder, clearly his father’s handwriting.   
  
_When is he coming to retrieve it? Will he give me what he promised?_   
  
“What?” Harry shuffled through the file but found nothing that seemed to give him the answers to his father’s scribbled questions. Someone was coming to get this green stone, and his father knew him and made a bargain with him, but what was it?  
  
Harry heard the front door open and quickly slammed the file shut, shoving it underneath the spider serum folder.   
  
“Mr. Osborn?” It was his driver.   
  
“Sorry, Antonio, got caught up in… some stuff,” Harry apologized, standing up and grabbing both folders. He slipped them under his arm.   
  
“Not a problem Mr. Osborn. It’s just I’m double-parked and a police offer was giving me a hard time.”   
  
Harry nodded. “I found what I needed anyway. Let’s get out of here.” He squeezed the folders against his body, feeling a strange weight settling in his stomach. He realized that he had been holding his breath the whole time he was looking at the folder. He let out a long sigh, and then with the quick flip of a switch, turned off the lamp and left the room.

  
As he and his driver walked to the car, Harry’s final thought was, _maybe I should tell Peter about this_.   
  
The End… to Be Continued…


End file.
